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CD REVIEW: Pepperdome - Chaos Point By: Cyrus Rhodes
"Full tilt Indie Rock groove" - INDIE MUSIC DIGEST -
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Artist: Pepperdome CD: Chaos Point Label: Independent Artist Website: www.pepperdomeband.com Genre: Punk, Alternative, Psychadelic Rock Sounds Like: System of the Down, Primus, Faith No More Technical Grade: 8/10
Production/Musicianship Grade:
7/10 Weakness: CD is a bit short, lack of melodic phrasing, repetitive solos guitar (tone & performance)
CD REVIEW:
The CD kicks off into high gear with solid garage rock vibe beat, “Flesh” a hard hitting, psychedelic guitar groove against emotionally charged vocals, & well placed harmonies & hooky chorus by Tokarczyk. Track 2 “Chaos Point” serves up another solid low end groove, with hard punk rock musical flow coupled with hooky vocal accents from Watts. Track 3 “Everyone Tells Me” keeps things moving in the right direction with its pulsating rock groove meshed with an infectious vocal melody that flows & ebbs its way through emotional fruition. s the CD unfolds I can hear many musical influences reminiscent of Primus, Faith No More, Frank Zappa, & even brief splashes of System of the Down. Right from the start you will notice Tokarczyk feels quite comfortable just letting it all hang out musically, not holding anything back. The overall musical vibe has a nice psychedelic, raw indie feel to it. Tokarczyk’s drumming is quite impressive as he dishes out impressive drum cops, double bass action, & pushes all natural accents extremely well dead in the pocket. Equally as impressive his writing & compelling vocal presence & thought provoking lyrics. Tokarczyk’s voice is packed to the hilt with passion, & recklessness abandon. The musicianship from all the other members in the band is above the bar & has everything you would expect from a standard 3 piece delivery. Tokarczyk clearly makes the (singer to listener) vocal connection with his singing. The songs themselves are short & sweet musical experiences, each one possessing unique personality, flair, & signature groove. From dynamic “Celebrity” to slow slithering “Break” this CD pretty much has something for just about everyone. The CD Ends with “I know” the prefect final statement for a CD of this caliber.
I don’t like how the vocals & solo guitar sit within the mix – way in the background. I’m also not crazy about the guitar solos (tones & performances). Some of the vocal phrasing lacks creative melodic depth. All songs over 4 ˝ minutes tend to drag you to the finish. With a 6 song line-up the CD feels a bit short. It’s fair to say 3-5 more songs would really seal the deal. I also kept wanting to hear even more emotionally changed screams out of Tokarczyk on a few of the songs. I mean screams, you know THE ONES THAT MAKE THE HAIR STAND UP ON THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD. This would make the catalogue even more powerful & even darker. Cover art lacks personality, creativity & concept.
Chaos Point by Pepperdome is a rock solid guitar driven statement from start to finish. Song for song, note for note it never really lets it’s guard down. It just has a rock solid, full tilt indie rock groove to it that is highly original & unpredictable in nature. Some songs are dark, other psychedelic other hard hitting – all short & sweet musical statements. Its strong suit – the song for song rock solid consistency & rock solid vocal presence of Pepperdome brainchild John Tokarczy He is a musical triple threat & should be considered a premier talent. If Pepperdome has a slam dunk live presentation then that would make a pretty lethal combination. No doubt they are a lot of fun to check out live. So if you like college alternative rock that dishes out a hard hitting punk rock edge then you should jump into this CD head first.
Cyrus Rhodes
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