Heaven -"The Road"

Released on Frontiers Records in 2001

THE BAND:
Pamme - vocals
Michael Brody -bass, keyboard, guitar, mandolin, taurus pedals
John Venselow - lead and rhythm guitar, and acoustic guitars


special guest:
Matt Sorum -drums
Robin McAuley -Addition vocals on "The Curtain" and "Forgiveness"
Steve Klong -Drums on "Someday Soon" and "Halfway Home", percussion on "The Road", and "Halfway Home"
Jimmy Hotz -Hotz midi translator on "All I Ever Need", "Can You Hear Us" and "Hold On"


TRACK BY TRACK:
1.) "The Curtain" - This ballad opens with a very haunting guitar rhythm. The vocals of the first verse are also set up in a very haunting fashion. The band kicks the chorus in with a lot of power, then bring it back down for the second verse. I really liked the way the bridge was set up…very classic. The twin guitar solo was very short and melodic. I really could not hear Robin's backing vocals.
2.) "Can You Hear Us" -This track opens with a huge drum fill. The guitar pattern is just a simple picking pattern. The vocal arrangement of the first verse reminds you a little of Pat Benatar. The chorus is very small, but packs a pretty big punch. The solo on this track was also very melodic.
3.) "All I Ever Need" - This track opens with a piano intro. The vocal arrangements remind me of Celine Dion. The pre-chorus had a pretty big hook in it. Through the chorus there is a couple huge lead scales. This track would make a very good sound track song. The way the bridge was set up it makes it sound like another song, which was really cool.
4.) "Halfway Home" -This track opens with an acoustic guitar pattern. Pamme's vocals are real subtle on this track. The vocal tracks where over dubbed and gives the song a Wilson/Phillips sound to it. There are a couple mandolin lead scales scattered through out the verses that just blew me away. That gives the track a Jimmy Page feel. The bridge was kind of long but very cool.
5.) "Strange Premonition"- This track opens with the only one so far that has a hard rock feel to it. The guitar arrangement is pretty straightforward. Lyrically it is a lot like Vixen's early material.
6.) "Face The Day" -This track opens with a very cool piano and vocal arrangement. From the opening vocal line you can tell this is going to be a haunting sounding song. When the song kicks in there is a very powerful over dubbed vocals section. The song is just pure brilliance.
7.) "Show them" -This track opens with a early eighties pop metal intro. The verse section is very up-tempo and too the point. The chorus has several hooks with in it. Other than that the song is pretty standard.
8.) "The Road" -This track opens with a very classical acoustic intro on guitar. Pamme's vocals are very soothing. When the chorus kicks in the song has a Heart feel to it. Musically the song is just well written all around.
9.) "Hold On" -This track opens with a very Pat Benatar type intro. The intro is heavier than the actual verse is. The song has a great balance of acoustic and electric guitars. Throughout the song are several huge lead scales. That makes the song very intense sounding. The twin solo is very intense and suits the song well.
10) "Someday Soon" -This track opens with a "Phantom of the Opera" type intro. The lyric lines even have a Broadway type feel to them. I really liked the huge lead scales of this track. I really did not care for the Meatloaf feel the song has. The really only big highlight was the bridge.
11.) "Be the One" - This track opens with a very seventies pop rock feel. The song was just set up real simple. Which is what great song writing is based upon.
12.) "Forgiveness" -This track opens with a small drum fill and a huge guitar pattern. Vocally and lyrically the song is very simple. It is just based on early hard rock. Robin's backing vocals really shine through on this track.



Until I saw Qeensryche live on the "Midcrime" tour, I actually thought Pamme's vocal section on "Sweet Sister Mary" was a Geoff Tate vocal over dub, Mainly because Pamme's vocals range was so close to Geoff's. I went home that night thinking this woman needs to record a full CD of her own material. Well it took several years but it finally happened.
The CD is not as heavy as I thought it really would be. Several of the songs are of the Celine Dion vein. One of John Venselow influences is Micheal Schenker and at times he really pulls it off. If you are a hard rocker and want to listen to something a little different, or, if your in to pure gold vocals then I subject you check Haven out.