Fran Cosmo and his son Antonio (also known from the band Boston) are the core of the band Cosmo. The band claims that they named the album Alien because this is a new type of Rock (“Welcome to the Evolution of Rock -n- Roll”). They do provide us with some solid, modern, and melodic Hard Rock, and Alien consists of twelve varied songs, but it’s really not that unique. During the 45 minutes Alien lasts, your thoughts might go to bands like Stone Temple Pilots, Jane’s Addiction, and Velvet Revolver.

This is, of course, not a bad thing, and the record is actually not that bad. Fran Cosmo is one hell of a singer, and his son Antonio shows that the musical geniality runs in the family. Antonio Cosmo is credited with backing vocals, guitars, bass, percussion, and sampling on this record!

The opener is the Hard Rocker “Communication.” This song has a catchy refrain and is everything a modern Hard Rock classic should be. The aggressive riffs and the rawness of Fran Cosmo’s vocals make this song one of the highlights on the record.

“Don’t Tell Me Your Lies” is a Hard Rock ballad with some vocal harmonies, and is both pompous and modern at the same time. There is also an acoustic version of this song included as a bonus track.

“No Surprise” is probably the most modern written song on the record. The song is a solid Rock song and has a melancholy drive to it. They’ve also experimented with a megaphone-effect on the backing vocals, which is kinda cool to listen to. “Helicopter” is another ballad, but this one is more acoustically driven than “Don’t Tell Me Your Lies,” and there are both acoustic and electric guitar solos. All in all, “Helicopter” is a nice ballad with a more optimistic-like sound than the previous.

“When I Close My Eyes” is also a ballad, but with more of a modern Hard Rock drive to it. The guitar solo is a beautiful acoustic piece, and the chorus is soothing to the ear with harmonic vocal lines. This one is truly a memorable moment on the record.

Though the Cosmo’s have had a huge impact on Boston’s releases the last couple of years, you should not buy this record expecting it to be another Boston record. This record sounds nothing like Boston. This album is filled with more rawness and more aggressive riffs than what you would get from Boston.

The album is varied, but has no songs to go bananas over. There are some cool songs, and if the rest of the album had the same standard as these, then they probably could have called Alien an evolution of Rock -n- Roll with no objection. It’s not a great album, but it’s also not that bad. If you like such bands as Stone Temple Pilots and Jane’s Addiction, you’ll probably like this one too.

Line-up:
• Fran Cosmo - Lead Vocals/Guitars
• Antonio Cosmo - Lead Guitars/Backing Vocals/Bass/Keys
• Mick Brooks – Guitars
• Bill Carmen – Bass
• Pat Orlowski - Drums

Track list:
1. Communication
2. Don't Tell Me Your Lies
3. No Surprise
4. Gravity
5. Redemption
6. Helicopter
7. Alien
8. When I Close My Eyes
9. Woman
10. Can't Run Away
11. Creep
12. Don't Tell Me Your Lies (acoustic)

Click here for Cosmo @ MySpace
Click here for the Frontiers Records Official Web site