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Otherwise: Sleeping Lions
Otherwise - Sleeping Lions CD Album Review

Otherwise: Sleeping Lions

Modern Alternative Heavy Rock
3.5/5.0

Formed in Las Vegas by singer Adrian Patrick, Otherwise has been grinding it out in the underground alternative rock scene for 14 years, and despite monumental personnel changes over those years. After a eponymous debut album in 2006 and a follow up EP in 2009, Some Kind Of Alchemy, the band was picked up by independent German Label Century Media. They return with fourth long player, third for the label, Sleeping Lions.

Otherwise Band Photo

Otherwise

As an American alternative band, Otherwise borrows from and mixes together elements from both classic and modern heavy rock and metal, sometimes with interesting and arresting results. On the classic side, Otherwise attempts to work in melody, harmony and groove, some slight synth embellishment, blistering solos, and melodic clean vocals. From the latter side, the band offers modern hard rock sharpness and heaviness. The former comes in the sometimes harrowing and harsh riffage, but also Patrick's sometimes assertive screamo vocals. The latter comes simply from the heavy, d-tuned, bottom end of the rhythm section.

Needless to say, from this description, the contrasts are self-evident within every song. There's the juxtaposition of blistering riffs with more pleasing vocal harmony within Beautiful Monster or Blame. Then within Angry Heart there's the thunder in the rhythm section combined with assertive riffage, but with Patrick sliding between smooth vocal melody and slight screamo. Sleeping Lions gives you the d-tuned sharp riffage beat down from the start, only to lead to a light guitar breakdown in the second half, which itself leads to a killer solo. Similar and equally pummeling is Nothing To Me, but in the later third has a combination of guitar and synth(?) breakdown.

Suffice to say, Otherwise's Sleeping Lions offers an interesting mix of emotions, moods, and musical elements in their song arrangements. But, because of the modern sense of harsh heaviness, I'm not sure I found the album all that appealing. Nevertheless, Otherwise does know how to create an intersection between classic hard rock and its modern alternative counterpart, and so spark some interest.



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The Bottom Line

Otherwise's Sleeping Lions offers an interesting mix of emotions, moods, and musical elements in their song arrangements. But, because of the modern sense of harsh heaviness, I'm not sure I found the album all that appealing. Nevertheless, Otherwise does know how to create an intersection between classic hard rock and its modern alternative counterpart, and so spark some interest.

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