SONIC X – Thirteen

If you’re not familiar with the quartet called Sonic X, they are a Hard Rock band that hails out of Toronto, Canada. Their self-titled debut was released in November of 2004 and was well received. Out of the four members in the band today, guitarist Lawrence Falcomer is probably the most recognizable by Metal Express Radio fans as he was the facet for some inspiring guitar on releases by the noteworthy Melodic Rock band Final Frontier. It’s now three years later and Sonic X has released a follow-up full-length album in Thirteen.

Thirteen in some ways takes over where the debut left off with Thirteen having a slightly more “mature sound.” The band have taken more of a Classic Rock direction and added tinges of other Rock formats including Modern Rock, Hair Metal, and, at times, winning formulas from Pop Rock without watering the music down.

Sonic X shows with Thirteen that they can write strong, catchy tunes with instant hit potential. No truer statement can be made when talking about this album’s clear-cut winner in “Carried Away.” Adam Troy’s powerful, slightly gravely vocals at times really soar during this song, with the tracking coming across with an almost Pearl Jam/Stone Temple Pilots appeal. Follow this up with the exceptional and slightly toned down and melodic “If Only,” where once again Troy puts in a strong performance. Troy’s vocals during these bright spots reminds occasionally of labelmate Rocco Fury of American Angel. Another bright spot is the track Disgrace where the melodic chorus contains an almost Modern Rock type shout by Troy. It’s by no means “Cookie Monster” vocals, it’s just more guttural than Troy has displayed on the album’s other tracks, but it indeed works effectively here.

One would be remiss not to mention Lawrence Falcomer’s guitar work throughout this release. For most of these songs, Falcomer does for Sonic X what guitarist Steve Lukather has done for so many years for Toto … his playing kicks the overall music up another notch on the “Metal” pole. Take the openers “Crawl” and “Wicked,” for perfect examples, where Falcomer’s presence is made known right out of the gates with a strong rhythm sound and subsequent solid leads. It’s part of the equation that makes both of these songs strong, memorable Hard Rock offerings. His solo playing has the same dramatic effect on the outcome of the album’s “ballad” entry in “Breathe,” where his solo is very uplifting.

This release, in the end, truly exemplifies the strong musical capabilities of Troy and Falcomer. Granted, not all songs are as memorable and strong as the ones mentioned, but Thirteen proves that Sonic X have the ability to write some pretty damn strong hits. Thirteen especially succeeds in setting high expectations for, hopefully, a follow-up release by this band and serves to do their label proud by being labeled as another strong release in 2007 by Chavis Records.

Lineup

Adam Troy -Vocals
Michael Marquez – Drums
Joseph Cumbo – Bass
Lawrence Falcomer – Guitar