Light It Up

Rev Theory

Interscope, 2009

http://www.revtheory.com

REVIEW BY: Paul Hanson

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 11/12/2009

The day is coming when every riff and every musical theme will have been explored, and it will be a band’s job to do one of two things: come up with something new and refreshing or simply play material that does more borrowing from others than fresh creation. When was the last time we truly had something new and refreshing in the world of metal? Don’t say Metallica. Don’t say Slayer. Sure as hell don’t say Korn or Linkin Park.

Unfortunately, you can’t say Rev Theory either. After only two tracks, you can’t help but suspend your familiarity with what is typically played on rock stations in order to get through these two tracks.

First of all, you have to forget the cliché ‘let’s get excited please” lyrics of opener “Hell Yeah,” especially when vocalist Rich Luzzi pleads, “Give me a hell! / Yeah! Stand up right now / Get ready to go!” – otherwise, you’ll go nuts. You just have to imagine yourself with thousands of your closest friends at a concert with a fist in the air. No one at a concert hearing those words will think, “Oh that is so familiar.” There is energy in this track, which I liked. Second of all, when you get to track two and listen to Luzzi sing about a girl who is his “Favorite Disease,” you have to forget about hearing that phrase in countless other songs -- I’m thinking specifically of Nickelback’s use of the phrase in “Figured You Out” -- because, again, it’s just not worth it. You can survive these two songs if you just go with the flow. Just don’t expect mind-melting molten metal à la Tool or Dream Theater and you’ll be okay.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

Title track “Light It Up” comes next. The guitars are playing a crunchy thick pseudo- “Enter Sandman” riff during the majority of the song. Luzzi sings about “the whiskey running through my veins / So cut me open add the fuel to the fire / Your daddy tells you not to play my game / But what I’m selling baby she can’t deny.” If it weren’t for the significant time and thought behind the guitar solo from Julien Jorgensen, I’d be skipping this track.

It’s not until “Broken Bones” that I began to enjoy this release. The guitars are acoustic and soulful at the beginning of the song before transitioning to electric. The lyrics are better and more  tolerable in comparison to the first three tracks. This begins a quartet of strong songs athat continues with “Kill The Headlights,” “Ten Years,” and “Wanted Man.”  “Wanted Man” could have easily been the lead-off track for this release. There is depth in Luzzi’s ponderings when he asks what his life will be like in the future during “Ten Years.”  Last track “Far From Over” is strong as well.

For what Rev Theory seems to be trying to do – write energetic music that makes people happy – they are successful. Their current tour with Breaking Benjamin is probably a killer way to experience this band and the decent material on this release.

Rating: B

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