Customer Reviews

Bombshell

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

At last! A new band that doesn't sound whiny and petulant. A new band that doesn't merely claim to be rock, it actually delivers the goods! A new band MTV will not touch (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, though it would help). A band whose music isn't relegated to coffeehouses and bookstores. A new band who isn't afraid to use overdrive and distortion cranked up to 11. A new band which makes us old headbangers want to rock again.

And its name is Hydrogyn.

Fronted by the lovely & talented Julie Westlake (billed simply as "Julie" in the CD credits), Hydrogyn is a five-piece, two guitar powerhouse, one of those two guitars being played by Julie's husband Jeff Westlake. Along with the other guitarist Jeff Boggs, bass player Dave Moody and drummer Jerry Lawson, Hydrogyn has bridged the gap between what rock and roll was and what it could be if only open minds prevailed. True rock doesn't have much of a chance these days, what with hip hop/rappers, mopey emo indie stuff (it ain't rock, folks), pseudo-celebrity-teenybopper-Disney Channel/TRL crap, actors who try to be singers/musicians/rappers and vice versa and modern-day fake "country music" (the quote marks are there for a reason),etc..

Hydrogyn could reverse that, taking rock and roll off of the life support it has been on for the past 10-15 years and really restore it to its former prominence. I mean, come on. Everyone else's styles of music have been played so much, it's our turn to shine again! One listen to "Vesper's Song" alone will have your head bangin' away. I mean, this isn't death metal, just good ol' melodic rock with an edge. And Julie's good looks don't hurt things, either.

Even though Hydrogyn is a hometown band originating out of Huntington, WV (close to where I'm from),I've never seen them in concert. I hadn't even heard a note of their music until a couple of weeks ago. However, I know what I like and I still believe that, given a chance, they could be a lasting force in rock and roll music. These guys (and gal) need your support. They have mine.

Keep up the good work. Now bring us more Hydrogyn.

The Good
"Vesper's Song" begins with front woman Julie's melodic voice over a distant guitar progression. As the track continues, chunky riffs and pulsing drums help pump the track up. Julie unleashes her inner rage on "Blind," while the rest of the band sets the pace with pure metal rhythms. Soft and emotional vocal tones mix with powerful and unleashed ones on "Breaking Me Down." Dual vocal harmonies dominate the chorus of "Love Spoke." It's really difficult to accept anyone covering an AC/DC song except AC/DC, but the ever-energetic Julie does just fine hanging with the big boys. Listen for some great guitar work courtesy of Jeff Westlake and Jeff Boggs. Some of Hydrogyn's heaviest riffs come from "The Sand." They even through in a hypnotic guitar wail. "Book of Names" is loaded with heavy riff after heavy riffs and some enduring vocals. It's just Julie and acoustic guitars on the moving ballad "Come Back to Me."

The Bad
Nothing notable

The Verdict
What is it about female fronted metal bands that make them so appealing? Julie's picture on the front cover of this album may have something to do with it. All joking aside, maybe it has something to do with how the sweet and comforting female vocals mix well with the heavy guitar and thunderous drums, in sort-of a good versus evil scenario? Or maybe it's how women are believed to be full of sugar and spice and everything nice, but when she's part of the metal scene, she's being very naughty? What guy does like that?! No matter how you slice it, Julie's powerful and melodic vocals mixed with Hydrogyn's classic metal assault are a win-win situation.

Drawing a discreet veil over the slightly overdone cover graphics/photo this Michael Wagener produced debut album definitely covers a lot of bases. Recorded in Tennessee there are twinges of alt.country seeping into the sound and that's probably more due to the kind of music these people were surrounded by during their upbringing. The very clean production and in fact some of the songs remind me a touch of the late 80's but that's meant in a good way. After all the hair bands you instantly think of when you see that reference would rarely of been this focussed on their careers. I mean checking this bands web site and reading interviews in magazines they seem to have a stack of stuff going on - DVD's, live albums, download stuff - these guys worked their backsides off trying to create a buzz for this debut. Oh yeah, and few late 80's/early 90's bands would of had female vox... Well there was Warlock and Princess Pang...

As for the vocals of Julie these are pleasing if limited. As she writes the lyrics and melodies she is able to keep things within her range and abilities. Actually she sounds good here and has a bit of an ever-so-slightly husky feel to her voice on some numbers like Circle. When the band try their hand at a cover of Skid Row's 18 + Life she doesn't fare so well, Veronica Freeman of Benedictum perhaps being one of the few women out there with the pipes to pull off something like this. Lyrically the concerns are everyday stuff. No power metal here or corsets etc. ....well on second thought perusing the cover and inside back cover again...hmmm no it's not a corset. It should be noted at this point that Julie is a part time model.

Musically this is pretty spot on as Hydrogen have soaked up a lot of wattage over the years and tried to cherry pick the best aspects of 80's heavy AOR in particular the `feel' of proceedings and the rocker posturing combined with the aforementioned alt.country twinges make this a consistent album that doesn't get too hysterical.

My faves? Circle is pretty cool but Breaking Me Down is what got me to buy the album after it was featured on a covermount CD.

I bought this via Amazon's MP3 downloads. I am currently listening to it and am about 3/4's of the way through it. So far I have to say this really rocks! It is truly the kind of rock that turns me on! The guitars have a great crunchy sound, great melodies, and the singer is excellent!

I'm sure this is an album that I will be getting into for a good long time! I highly recommend it!!!

Hydrogyn has a "hard rock" sound with a dynamic female lead singer. The band is good at what they do, with well-constructed songs, driving guitars, and a fast beat. The band has a "classic" build, with two guitars, bass, drums, and a singer. The lead singer, Julie, belts out the lyrics very well.

All in all, just what a rock band should be. They aren't aiming for any "art," here, they just want to rock and have a good time. When you listen, you'll have a good time too.

In short, Hydrogyn falls in the tradition of artists such as Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and classic Heart. If you like those acts, you'll like this album.

This band knows how to rock with cutting edge riffs, intelligent lyrics and hooks delivered by the band's stunning front lady, Julie. Her multi-octave range and amazing voice never fail to impress. Julie's the only Bombshell here!

I came across this band via an article in Classic Rock magazine in late 2006. The image of singer Julie Westlake certainly got my attention (how could it not?) but having a stunning lead singer does not guarantee a great, or even reasonably good collection of songs. Having checked out a few tunes from the CD online, I ordered this CD and upon listening was blown away by the entire thing.

From start to end, this is without question the best new Rock CD I've heard in a LONG time. The songs are tough as nails, yet are melodic and very well written. The production is top notch and the music is a perfect blend of classic '80's hard rock with a modern sound. Despite a classic approach, this CD never sounds dated, but rather timeless. Hydrogyn have demonstrated that someone in the desolate music scene of the late 2000's understands what it takes to be a REAL rock band (great songs and genuine talent). They should have put out an accompanying instructional video "How to be a REAL Rock Band"

The band went a little too heavy on the followup "Deadly Passions" in 2008, which is not say it isn't worth picking up, and we'll see what a new CD in early 2010 brings us. Hopefully more great music.

If like 100% genuine, well made ROCK unlike we haven't heard in a long time, you MUST get this CD! Bottom line, this CD kicks more @$$ than a team of 20 mules...

someone turend me on to this band and i really thank them for it i will bee looking to buy the rest of their collection

love hearing strong women and voice. like hearing Ann and Nancy Wilson, Pat Benatar all over again. But a new voice for our time. I am going to anticipate more albums from this band.

2006's Bombshell is the appropriately-titled debut album from Kentucky-based hard rockers Hydrogyn. I say the title is appropriate because Hydrogyn's main claim to fame rests on the considerable vocal talents (and yes, attractive physical attributes) of lead singer Julie Westlake. Without her powerful voice and not-so-subtle sexuality I doubt anyone would be talking about this band. Well, at least she can sing, and that's not something I can say for a lot of the newer female-fronted rock and metal bands lately.

There seem to be two distinct influences at work in Hydrogyn's sound - the sexually-charged pop metal of Lita Ford and Evanescence style nu-metal. Hydrogyn split the difference between the two, ending up with a modern rock sound that's a little edgy and a little poppy. For my money it seems to work. "Breaking Me Down" and "I've Been Waiting" pack plenty of punch, and they pull off a passable cover of Skid Row's "18 and Life". The rest of the album is fairly good as well, though there are a few tracks on this 14-song release that probably should have hit the cutting room floor.

Overall, Bombshell is a fairly strong hard rock album with a very strong vocal performance, and one that should drive serious fans of female-fronted hard rock and metal absolutely wild. It's definitely a level above most of what you'd hear on mainstream rock radio.