NUMB (E)

Numb is the second album by Blind Ego, the band of guitarist Kalle Wallner (RPWL). This time he leaned on lead vocalist Paul Wrightson (ex-Arena). Undoubtedly the man delivers a truly great performance. Sometimes I don’t even recognize his vocals from the Arena-days, but nevertheless it’s a very pleasant voice for my taste that matches the music perfectly. The other musicians on board are renowned bass player John Jowitt (IQ) who is sharing the duties with his colleague Sebastian Harnack (Sylvan). On drums we have Michael Schwager (Dreamscape) and as a guest musician on the last track Iggor Cavalera (Sepultura, Mix Hell) on drums. Bandmate Yogi Lang (RPWL) produced the album and provided some background vocals. All the short titles have to do with more or less extreme feelings, that take possession of one’s consciousness for a short time. The first tracks Lost and Guilt, begin with mellow sounds from Wallners’s guitar, but shortly after firm riffs set the tone that will last throughout the album. These riffs are catchy, yet varied and because of the multiple guitar layers the music still has a somewhat orchestral character. The addition of some keyboard sounds would have been nice, but nevertheless this melodic, bombastic rock sounds just great. Several changes in key and tempo prove Kalle Wallner’s progressive roots. Guilt, sung by Yogi Lang give the track a touch of RPWL. The title track has a beautiful sing-along chorus and a verse in the vein of the hard rock pioneers. Sounding a bit like Arena, Wallner throws in several superb melodic solos. In Leave we hear a more gentle and subtle guitar sound and stunning vocals by Wrightson, while the chorus is more heavy but still extremely melodic. In Death, the longest track of the album, the vocals and the guitars are haunting although the chorus sounds very sweet. The middle section reminds me of Porcupine Tree. The same kind of atmosphere can be found in Change, opened by a nice bass loop and subsequently the sounds of echoing, sometimes even slightly psychedelic guitar sounds. At some point the guitars play more heavy riffs and the vocals are distorted. The heavy opening of Seek, and some other parts as well, conceal the poppier acoustic verses. Towards the end the chorus sounds like an AOR-piece, having delightful solos. Entirely acoustic is Risk, with only guitar and vocals, a very nice tune. The instrumental Torn could almost be a tribute to Black Sabbath, only the melodies played by the guitar sound rather different, but the riffs don’t. A splendid combination of The Who and Arena can be discovered in Vow. The last track features Sepultura-drummer Cavalera, gradually building up the tension and equally smoothly fading away at the end with just guitar and a few effects. Numb will appeal to most fans of RPWL and Arena. All fans of more heavy yet melodic rock music should definitely check this cd out. There are no keyboards on Numb and therefore it sounds less progressive than RPWL or Arena. Due to the craftsmanship of the musicians, the refinement in songwriting and production, the superb vocals and the clever use of many different guitar sounds, this is a truly fine rock album.