In Chinese philosophy TAO means "The absolute principle underlying the universe, combining within itself the principles of yin and yang, signifying the way, a code of behavior that is in harmony with the natural order.". TAO are British made hailing Wytch- from Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and Barrow in England, featuring Karen Fell on vocals, Chris Gould on guitars and David Rosingana on bass guitar.They are joined on the album by Brian Webster on drums and Darrel Treece-Birch (TEN) on keyboards. A British female fronted hard rock band, isn't the most common thing nowadays. On the other hand TAO are more than welcome as their music is fresh air in the saturated, suffocating modern rock scene with the plastic production and the one size fits all AOR albums coming from the famous pizzeria, by the tons. TAO isn't groundbreaking. On the contrary, they have their ups and downs. On the positive side they play melodic rock in the way late 80s taught us with some excellent 70s passages, mostly due to the keyboards. They also have a good ear for melodies. Their single "Fire in the sky" proves the band knows how to pen a good song.
The other pro in their work is that they try to be volatile and have a sound diversified as much as they can. On the cons, the main issue for all AOR albums in the 21st century, the production needs more volume. PROPHECY was produced by Gary Hughes (TEN) and Mixed and Mastered in Germany by the world renowned rock engineer Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69/Unisonic/Place Vendome). Songs like "Might just break your heart" could benefit from a massive production. But the days of the fat cows are long gone for bands and the music industry. Songs like the same titled , (Prophecy) and "Nazarene" show the influences of Gary Hughes and the epic feeling, while the modern element rises at "Fight club" showing the face i preferred the most at TAO.So to conclude, this small review. TAO are a new melodic rock trio that have incorporated their West Coast, AOR influences in their sound, writing good, catchy songs, proving they deserve the attention of the wider melodic rock audience. Keep up the good work and the prophecy will be fulfilled. 7
Commentaires