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April 2024

• War Grave: War Grave EP
• Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
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• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
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March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
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February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
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• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
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January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

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Sixstep: House of Cards

Melodic Eclectic Rock

3.5/5.0

Website Facebook
Unsigned / Self-released
by Craig Hartranft,  10.20.2012

Clearly, Orange County's Sixstep marches to their own beat, wherever that beat may come from. They call their sound "comprehensive rock," whatever the what for that means. House of Cards, their second album I think (much of their information is sketchy and obtuse), rolls together elements of classic rock with portions of ska, reggae, jazz, and blues in what can only be considered eclectic.

Sixstep: on stage.

House of Cards is an odd intersection between melodic rock, progressive rock and art rock, with an equally odd concept. It's something do with a satirical look at different aspects of the modern life. This is then also played out among two contrasting radio DJs, one an obnoxious commercialist, the other a fateful idealist. Are you getting all this? Maybe you should take notes.

While at first spin the songs and music seem oddly discordant, lacking any cohesion, they, strangely enough, become clever and entertaining. This is especially true of the more lively tunes like Worm or Get In Line. The best part: they've got saxophone in them. Gotta dig sax. Then there are tunes that vacillate between somberness and strangeness like Party for Steven, In the Rain, and Apocalyptic Breakfast. Then there's the weird, like the circus play of Klown. Perhaps Sixsteps is most persuasive when the merge classic rock with ska and a touch 40's big band jazz as on Enjoy the Free Fall. I said from the start, House of Cards is eclectic from start to finish, certainly not your average venture in modern rock. It's also an acquired taste, kind of like eating Russian caviar while slurping Dom Perignon, but worth checking out. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Sixstep's House of Cards is eclectic and novel melodic rock. It's also an acquired taste, kind of like eating Russian caviar while slurping Dom Perignon, but worth checking out.

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Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]