Customer Reviews

Power & The Myth

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

 

 

I've waited for this album for a very long time. I hold HOL as a band dear to me for its great music and, for the sort of connectedness one feels for a band without a mass following.

After 1992's Demon's Down, HOL literally disappeared from the shelves. I couldn't understand why, Demon's Down had been such a great album. I remember looking for a copy of Sahara circa '94 and the manager of the store had to pull out the entire music catalog (a 10 pound monstrosity of a binder -before mass use of the internet, kids) and HOL was nowhere to be found.

Back in 2000, there were news on the net that an HOL album was in the works, and sure enough, a pretty good band website materialized. And months later, just like that, it disappeared (while it was still under construction).

Late last year, this little jewel was finally released. My first impression; where's Giuffria? No explanation, no dedication, no short history of the last 12 years, no website is given. Alas, seems like Giuffria was made a solo record deal and abandonned HOL.

The packaging is just so-so; the graphic design could be better, even mispelling "Miguel" (Ruiz) for "Migurl" on the sleeve -and that is the first thing one sees when opening the case. Featured are some photos of the band, who, to their credit are looking sharp.

Taking over the keys are a few promising young keyboardists; I was very excited to see Derek Sherinian as one of them, thinking what a Dream Theater alumni could do for HOL exposure-wise, but alas, Sherinian is only credited one song. Sven Martin previously with Tatu (hey, give the kid a break!) does a fine job but Allan Okuye gets my vote. Yet, while the choice of songs for Okeuye may have given him more room for creativity, Martin is a great keybordist in his own right.

`Today' is a fine song (written by another band), but lyrically it doesn't quite take off. `Am I the Only One' is an un-impeachable song; worthy to be on their "Best of" album if they ever release one. `The Power and the Myth' is an instrumental, featuring Sherinian and it allows Ken Mary to do some exhilarant, heart-pumping drumming. 'The Man That I Am' (written by the the same band that wrote 'Today') is a beautiful, melodic song that is both helped and hindered by the simplicity of its lyrics. It is inspired, bombastic and touches the right heart strings, but yet remains more soulful than lyrical. 'Bitter Sweet Euphoria' is a very strong song and one of the heaviest in HOL's repertoire, another candidate for a "Best of".

Worth mentioning is that gone are the double entrende songs like 'Shoot' or 'Johnny's got a mind of his Own', which even as a teenager I felt were too juvenile for the band.

Power and Myth album has a controled aggressiveness that's fresh and means business. There is a distinctive direction which the band followed; it is spiritual, mystical and the songs attest to their soul searching. It is a more mature effort than their previous albums which nevertheless keeps all the teeth and heart I'd expect from HOL.

The nagging feeling I get from The Power and the Myth is that the band just had to release it, even if it wasn't up to the standard of their previous works. It needed more work and production, although you can tell HOL wanted, and did, the best they could do before releasing it. And that saddens me a bit, because this little gem is not as good as it could have been, and because HOL's work will once again go under-appreciated.

When I purchased this album last Christmas there were "only three copies left" yet six months later there are only a handful of reviews, and it has already fallen bellow the 200,000 mark.

I hope House of Lords will try again; they're much too talented and creative to go unheard. Five stars seems a tiny bit too generous, but three would be grossly under-rating the album, and this band has had too much of that.

I wrote the following review some time ago but for some reason it no longer appeared with the album. So here's a re-print!

I've waited for this album for a very long time. I hold HOL as a band dear to me for its great music and, for the sort of connectedness one feels for a band without a mass following.

After 1992's Demon's Down, HOL literally disappeared from the shelves. I couldn't understand why, Demon's Down had been such a great album. I remember looking for a copy of Sahara circa '94 and the manager of the store had to pull out the entire music catalog (a 10 pound monstrosity of a binder -before internet cataloging, kids) and HOL was nowhere to be found.

Back in 2000, there were news on the net that an HOL album was in the works, and sure enough, a pretty good band website materialized. And months later, just like that, it disappeared (while it was still under construction).

Late last year, this little jewel was finally released. My first impression; where's Giuffria? No explanation, no dedication, no short history of the last 12 years, no website is given. Alas, seems like Giuffria was offered a solo record deal and abandoned HOL.

The packaging is just so-so; the graphic design could be better, even misspelling "Miguel" (Ruiz) for "Migurl" on the sleeve -and that is the first thing one sees when opening the case. Featured are some photos of the band, who, to their credit are looking sharp.

Taking over the keys are a few promising young keyboardists; I was very excited to see Derek Sherinian as one of them, thinking what a Dream Theater alum could do for HOL exposure-wise, but alas, Sherinian is only credited one song. Sven Martin previously with Tatu (hey, give the kid a break!) does a fine job but Allan Okuye gets my vote. Yet, while the choice of songs for Okeuye may have given him more room for creativity, Martin is a great keyboardist in his own right.

`Today' is a fine song (written by another band), but lyrically it doesn't quite take off. `Am I the Only One' is an un-impeachable song; worthy to be on their "Best of" album if they ever release one. `The Power and the Myth' is an instrumental, featuring Sherinian and it allows Ken Mary to do some exhilarating, heart-pumping drumming. 'The Man That I Am' (written by the the same band that wrote 'Today') is a beautiful, melodic song that is both helped and hindered by the simplicity of its lyrics. It is inspired, bombastic and touches the right heart strings, but yet remains more soulful than lyrical. 'Bitter Sweet Euphoria' is a very strong song and one of the heaviest in HOL's repertoire, another candidate for a "Best of".

Worth mentioning is that gone are the double entrende songs like 'Shoot' or 'Johnny's got a mind of his Own', which even as a teenager I felt were too juvenile for the band.

The Power and Myth has a controlled aggressiveness that's fresh and means business. There is a distinctive direction which the band followed; it is spiritual, mystical and the songs attest to band members' soul searching. It is a more mature effort than their previous albums which nevertheless keeps all the teeth and heart I'd expect from HOL.

The nagging feeling I get from The Power and the Myth is that the band just had to release it even if it wasn't up to the standard of their previous works. It needed more work and production, although you can tell HOL wanted, and did, the best they could do before releasing it. And that saddens me a bit, because this little gem is not as good as it could have been, and because HOL's work will once again go under-appreciated.

When I purchased this album last Christmas there were "only three copies left" yet six months later there are only a handful of reviews, and it has already fallen bellow the 200,000 mark.

I hope House of Lords will try again; they're much too talented and creative to go unheard. Five stars seems a tiny bit too generous, but three would be grossly under-rating the album, and this band has had too much of that.

After more than a decade of inactivity, melodic rock veterans House of Lords finally made their comeback in 2004 with their fourth album The Power and the Myth. It wouldn't be a true House of Lords album without some kind of lineup change, and this time it was a big one: keyboardist/founding member Greg Giuffria is absent here, replaced by four different keyboardists, including Derek Sherinian (ex-Dream Theater) on one song. The rest of the band - James Christian, Chuck Wright, Ken Mary and Lanny Cordola - are all present and accounted for.

I tend to think a band can survive most any lineup changes as long as the songwriting and performances are good. Unfortunately that's not really the case here. If you're going to call your album The Power and the Myth, the album needs to have some actual power and majesty - things the early House of Lords had plenty of. This album just falls flat. The songs are forgettable, the performances workmanlike, even James Christian's vocals seem lifeless, and I say that as a huge fan. The album is decent, but there really isn't a point where you recognize it as a House of Lords album.

I'm certainly glad House of Lords is making music again, but The Power and the Myth is easily the band's worst album. It's a decent enough melodic rock album, but nowhere near as good as the albums that came immediately before and after it. If you're a serious House of Lords fan, you'll still want to pick it up, but if you're just curious as to what the band sounds like in the new century, you'll be much better off with Come to My Kingdom or Cartesian Dreams.

I just started listening to The Power and The Myth and wasn't sure about it at first. But I listened to it more and more and sounds good each and every time. Although I was disappointed that the awesome keyboards of Greg Guiffera wasn't to be heard, it still rocks and is a freshing CD to put into my stereo.

Let me start by saying that there are a couple of things that are different about the group this time around since the last masterpiece of 'Demons Down' hit the shelves. Firstly legend Greg Giuffria is AWOL (working on a solo album I hear) and secondly the line up is otherwise the classic first album line-up with Lanny Cordola and Ken Mary back on board. So has time weathered well for all concerned. Well yes and no. What is evident is that as far as musicianship goes these guys are still top of their class. In particular the drum and bass combo of Ken Mary and Chuck Wright are jaw dropping (which one listen to the title track and instrumental 'The Power and the Myth' will confirm). On the down side Greg Giuffria's pomp and circumstance is sorely missed. James Christian's vocals have been down tuned in a more modern feel but at times leave you thinking that he sounds disinterested. Not always, just sometimes. The songs don't snare you immediately, infact I have had to persist but found a few weeks down the track I was warming a little more. I doubt that the casual listener would bother. It makes it hard to rank on a score of one to five casue I think really its around the three and a half mark.

Any way onto the songs. 'Today' is great a big moody piece reminisent of 'Our Father' and sets the mood well. Unfortunately 'All Is Gone' isn't so good with a very un-inspired vocal which upsets the flow early on. Its follower 'Am I The Only One' is much better sounding very Journey-ish in style and pobably one of the more instant numbers here. An early favourite. 'Living in Silence' and 'Power and the Myth' are fabulous and make the import price I paid for this all worth while. True classic pomp rock and easily the best things on this disc. 'The Rapture' is Middle Eastern flavoured and it too is great if not a little long with a some what unnecessary bridge added right at the end. 'The Man Who I Am' is okay but nothing to write home about, a poor shadow of Boston's 'A Man I'll Never Be'. Looking at the liner notes it appears that this was written outside of the band. Disappointing that a combo that can write such monolyths of class like 'Bitter Sweet Euphoria' should be persuaded to look outside their own for songs. 'Mind Trip' has a primary writing credit to guitarist Lanny Cordola and is a virtuoso sharing his talent. Not soo strong lyrically but spell binding just the same. 'Child of Rage' explores the dark subject matter of child abuse but misses the mark for me coming across as a poor man's Heart. There is a nice bonus track song called 'Havana' that shares a writing credit with Mr Giuffria. 'Havana' is an early eighties styled rock pop song and wouldn't sound amiss on the softmore 'Giuffria' album 'Silk and Steel'.

So all in all worth a visit but don't expect the lush flawlessness of previous outings and don't expect to be hooked from the very beginning to the very end.

First of all,I would like to say that I have been a fan of HOL since their debut cd. I loved it,and thought Sahara was also really good.They have a certain sound and style that a listener immediately can recognize as being their own.I listened to this cd with much anticipation,and unfortunately,disappointment.Some cd's have "IT" and some do not. IN MY OPINION,this one does not. If you are new to the group,check out "Demons Down" or the more recently released "World Upside Down",which is an instant classic.I have not heard the new "Live in the UK",but IN MY OPINION,the "Power & The Myth" is not as good as any of their studio cd's. But don't take my word,try it for yourself.Just don't say that you weren't warned.

"The power and the myth" is the 4th studio album by American arena rock/AOR group "House of lords" originally released in 2004, marking the return of the band after a twelve year absence. "The power and the myth" marks the re-formation of the original `House of lords' line up, featuring lead singer James Christian, guitarist Lanny Cordola, bassist Chuck Wright, drummer Ken Mary while baring the absence of founder-keyboardist Gregg Giuffria whose duties are fulfilled by Derek Sherinian.

In terms of direction "The power and the myth" is largely built on oriental melodies and grooves, for that matter drawing considerably towards progressive rock. One has to comment that this concept is not new to the ranks of "House of lords" as their second album "Sahara" was the fist to integrate eastern elements to their style. Yet "The power..." could be found lacking the AOR atmosphere that defined all their previous works; of course exceptions are to be found in "Bitter sweet euphoria" and "The man who I am". Never the less, the album would have benefited from the inclusion of a few up-tempo potential singles in the style of their classic hits "I wanna be loved" and "remember my name".

Though far from a bad album, "The power and the myth" does not quite connect with the band's artistic direction followed before or since its release as the band would go on to release superior studio efforts in the following years under a new line-up with James Christian at the helm.

The outstanding and very unique sound of HOL continues with this CD. James has added a definite "got to have" for any serious collecter of hard rock/metal music. The addition of his wives vocals adds a great dimension to the overall sound of HOL. Wonderful, period.

Compared tothe other alnums of House of lords thisdefinatelly is teh worst. No catchy chorus. It just doesn't sparkle. If you want to know House of Lords buy Sahara or Caeresian dreams. then you will know what a great band is really is..

As I've listened to this album over the past week, it is beginning to grow on me more and more. There are some catchy tunes, some nice riffs, and some great drumming here, but nothing really extraordinary. It would have been nice if House of Lords had let Sherinnian contribute more to the writing and overall sound of the album. Then they probably really would have had something.