Comeg

The opening science fiction sound effects on Fade Away may lure you into expectations of Hawkwind or Doctor Who’s tardis, but don’t be fooled. Comeg is not an experimental prog rock venture; rather, they are a cool, confident trio who exude poise and self-assurance. Touched With Fire is frontman Coemgen Savage’s seventh album and it shows. With a mature sound that radiates wisdom, Savage easily convinces the listener that he has lived through what he writes. Earthy, driven and grounded, Touched With Fire is a good old fashioned rock n roll album, somehow trustworthy and reliable. Once the electronics of Fade Away it does exactly what it says on the tin, Breathe With Me introduces the album more truthfully. With the essence of Iggy Pop and Bowie, it playfully flirts with catchy tunes and wheeling guitar that remain throughout the entire CD. Saturated with flavours of U2, Comeg certainly has an air of familiarity about them; to some that may prove boring, but to others it all forms part of their timeless appeal.Touched With Fire is accessible and contagious without being cheesy, striking the ideal balance that so many bands miss. The Sound of Fear is full of enough attitude to have your gran swaggering across the room for a bourbon on the rocks before Savage falls back to earth and broods over life’s obstacles in The Light is Bright. Soul Without Soul is potentially as anthemic as I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For and would doubtless have clubs of revellers happily wailing along if only Comeg were to be snapped up by a record label. In fact, to listen to Touched With Fire, you would never suspect that it had been produced by an independent musician who began recording eight years ago in his Devonshire basement. Clearly the School of Home Studio paid off as each beat of the drum, strum of the guitar and thud of the bass is so crisp, George Martin himself could have produced it. What ís more, this album along with the previous six releases is all available for free from the band’s website, www.comegband.com; who said that quality costs?Touched With Fire is one of those safe, dependable albums whose pounding rhythms and powerful riffs will enthuse anyone lucky enough to stumble across Coemgen and his band - Robyn Simmons

'One Day' is the latest release from Comeg, aka Coemgen Savage. Yes, it turns out that Comeg is actually a solo venture and the brainchild of just one multi-talented musician from the SE of England. From listening to this impressive album you wouldn't guess that one single guy had Written, played, recorded and produced it in his home studio - it's a massive work with a pretty massive feel!Comeg seems to specialise in big production, almost anthemic, songs; melodic soundscape rock on a big scale! Comeg reminds me of U2 crossed with Tears For Fears; there's the gritty rock ballads typical of the former mixed with the pop sensibility of the latter. But, Comeg is quite obviously just Comeg - I don't think he tries to be anything other than true to himself at all times. Comeg's songs are hook-laden, riff-loaded, emotionally charged works that tend to get right under your skin (in the nicest possible way!) and haunt you for ages after.'One Day' actually has massive potential; the songs are indeed big, they're structured superbly and played stunningly. If I could fault anything it would be the final production; for me 'One Day' is a bit to 'top end' tinny (particularly in the vocals and drums departments), to the point where it tends to become almost grating. Now that's easy to remedy (if indeed Comeg actually feels the need) and if 'corrected', 'One Day' would start to become a totally new beast! But, who am I to criticise? If Comeg likes the final results then I bow to his better judgement. I just try to listen with a completely open mind and write what I believe. And, regardless of my criticism, what I believe is that Comeg is pretty special! What the press pack doesn't tell me is whether Comeg actually performs live. If 'One Day' is all his own work, can (or does) Comeg even attempt to play live and if so, how does he tackle the massive job of getting his work out there? Certainly, 'One Day' suggests that Comeg is a musical force to be reckoned with. Brilliant songs, great musician, potential, potential, potential! - Toxic Pete

Comeg is Coemgen Savage who is based in SW England. His living room expertly reconstructed from place of rest to place of work. His studio helps him to record his own music and distribute it freely via his website. Don’t expect any lofi rock here, this is all expertly put together. ‘Halo Goodbye’ has a fresh dynamic production to it and majestic vocal leading to the huge chorus. Some nice lead work, hooks galore reminding me of when Mansun were around throwing up those excellent longing guitar solos. There’s also remnants of the soaring drama of Depeche Mode in Comeg’s writing.‘It's Okay’ follows on nicely with dreamy echoing guitars. His voice this time reminding me of Julian Cope at his more poppy times. Comeg’s vocals passionate and explosive “It’s OKAAAAY!” he screams. We get the picture. ‘The Hand Of God’ has a classic late 80’s indie sound of bands like Echo And the Bunny Men, the guitars shimmering against the New Order style drum beats. Comeg is not one to shy away from vocal performances, each time providing us with spine tingling screams. ‘Smile Inside’ sees things slow down, his voice recalling again ‘Bunny Men territory with the slow burning guitars and U2 style harmonics. He can mix the ballad with the pop anthem song-writing. Excellent stuff.‘He Blew The World Away’ starts with George Bush teaching us about “war, misery and torture”. Comeg making light of Bush’s relationship with Blair. “He’s got a pet”, it’s an amusing little ditty this one. One man who has the world’s power in his hands. There’s some shrewd writing here, it’s hard to write political songs unless you are Bob Dylan or Neil Young but Comeg makes light of things with some amusing little one liners. It’s a nice way to bring things towards a close.Comeg did the right thing turning his house into Abbey Road. ‘One day’ is a fine lp which shows some excellent vocal performances, hooky pop song-writing and guitar lines. Nothing over fancy or complicated, Comeg creates the sort of rock anthem you could only dream of writing mixing in other-worldly atmospherics to amazing effects. It’s surely is amazing what you can do at home - Pete Stanley

Up next we have moody rock epic spinners; Comeg. Half U2, half Bowie and a twist of the darker days we called the 80’s. These guys create not just songs but sonic landscapes. We got an entire album from these guys and we were impressed. There are some real highlight moments and not a low point in sight - although sometimes I wish they would develop on a tangent and let go rather than hold back ñ but hey, that ís just my personal preference. These guys are good, and I mean real good; tight, well versed in the art of the song and fresh enough to bother any rock chart. Fade Away is a cracking album opener. Spacey yet defined. The production is stunning and showcases this mid paced rocker perfectly. A great album and set opener. Breathe With Me is huge and must be awesome cranking out in the live setting. The song has an air of mystery and gives the guys a really unique song, there is even a hint of The Smiths with a pitch perfect soaring chorus. Other highlights include; Crazy Shaker where the vocalist ups the stakes while the band provide a groove akin to appetite era Guns n Roses. The blasting verse juxtapose the low down grind of the chorus in a fusion of hard rock and adult pop. Soul Without Soul comes on like Primal Scream punching Noel Gallagher repeatedly in the face trying to get him to rework Definitely Maybe. It rocks, it rolls and it shows a more straight ahead approach. This is by far my favourite track on the album, how can you not love a song with the opening lyric Hey Baby Jesus now don’t you cry, your mothers getting laid by the pizza guy!. Finally I want to mention The Light is Bright which is sure to be my anthem of the summer. It is sing-along but in a very cool way. Uplifting, unique and beautiful. - Band Assist