MASS- When 2 Worlds Collide
While most of the acts from the MTV era are long gone, Boston's Mass have the stamina and musicianship to go the distance. The band's new cd When 2 Worlds Collide is a near flawless slab of hook laden metal and mid-tempo rockers, combining bluesy guitar and the occasional organ to rival the current output of their fellow peers from the 80's, Europe. Lots of fiery guitar solos abound and Louis St. August's mid range melodic vocals sound better than ever. Most songs focus on love, plus one Dokken-style ballad about love gone bad ("Second Hand Rose"), 2 band retrospectives ("Alive" and "Some Time Ago"), and a song called "Revenge for the Maiden" with a similar theme to Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name" (could that be a sly reference to the plagiarism lawsuit against the British band for that very song?) Mass has always been subtle about their faith. The title track states "And I see the cross in the sky, War's come for you and I. Time's come for us to choose a side, Now we must all decide. When 2 worlds collide, Now I feel the end is nearing, yes, Now I feel there's no place to hide..." "Turn it over" has a down-tuned, bass heavy bottom end to it. You'll find that you can't help singing along to songs like "Just Can't Deny." I'll pass on the lone ballad, but the band once known as "Stryper's little brother" has certainly proved that they are anything but that. Score for the boys from Boston! (Escape Music) - 4.5 out of 5 stars
