Blessed By A Broken Heart – Feel The Power

Canadian five piece, Blessed By A Broken Heart, must have a bet going on – how many saccharinely sweet ‘melodies’ can they push down their listeners’ throat before they projectile vomit? Their 2008 debut Pedal To The Metal, tried to join the fun loving mentality of 80’s Hair Metal, together with the crushing beatdowns of metalcore. Unfortunately, the end-result sounded like Skid Row drunkenly covering Parkway Drive – not pretty. It is now 2012, and BBABH are back with a new album, and a new image which is somewhat akin to what GWAR would look like if they were influenced by Top Gun. While the glamsters have made some improvement, they have a long way to go before they become the next G’N’R.

The first two tracks off of Feel The Power (‘DEATHWISH’ and the boneheaded anthem ‘Shut Up And Rock’) are really strong. The production and riffs almost make you think of a modern day Motely Crue. However, the album quickly descends into a mush of poppy gag-inducing vocal lines, misplaced death growls and painfully clichéd lyrics. Lead guitarist, the modestly named “Shred Sean”, might as well be shouting “I’m playing a solo!” over and over again; his fretwork is so over-indulgent that it quickly becomes annoying. Furthermore, the “ballad”, ‘I’ve Got You’ is so incredibly cringe-worthy, that it makes Justin Bieber sound like Slayer.

So while this band of (frankly, sexually confused) brothers are trying hard to make an impression, it is quite obvious that they will not be “Rockin’ All Night”.