Young Royals
Los Angeles, California, United States
Music
Press
Day of Truths CD Review
by John Kindred, Staff Writer
FEB 2008
Comments: The Young Royals journey within the realm of rock n’ roll began in ’03 when drummer Josh Howser tracked down vocalist and guitarist Eric Bradley and encouraged if not demanded that Bradley join his rock outfit. The dust hadn’t quite settled with the duo before Jerry Cantrell called upon them to join his solo band. Fate must have intervened because they met bassist Adam Stanger who would bring the duo to a trio when Alice In Chains reunited. Leaving the trio to pursue their own endeavors, they were free to move forward with their own project.
With another band making a claim to their desired moniker of Melt, the trio now needed two things: a new name and a second guitarist. Fortunately for them Jason Saracco gave them another axe to grind as well as their unifying calling card, the Young Royals.
Their debut album, Day of Truth, features 11 songs that reflect a genuine ability for songwriting as well top notch musicianship. Unified under the battle cry of “rock n’ roll” the band aims to deliver music for the modern age of technological minded connesiours of music. That we would be fans who embrace IPod, PCs, car stereos, digital downloads and the traditional home stereo setup.
One of the most demanding efforts of any rock bands is to deliver their own unique signature to a style of music that is full of copycats who can’t find their own identity amongst a multitude of external influences. The opening song “And It Rains” unfortunately falls prey to sounding similar to Puddle of Mudd or Nickelback. Obviously this style of vocal runs rampant across the airwaves. By the second song “Happy To Know This” the band starts to put their stamp on the music.
Since several band members performed with Jerry Cantrell there may be expectations that Young Royals sound falls into the same vain as Alice In Chains. But this can’t be further for from the truth. The reality is that the band has a modern rock sound. Crisp and precise the vocals are sung rather than screamed and the music has tonality and is not a distorted mess.
“No Choice” starts off as a laid back acoustic romp, that features vocal harmonies that will remind you of King’s X. The chorus rocks it up but those vocal harmonies run throughout the entire song. Bradley vocals are easily accessible, his smooth delivery begs for you to listen to each and every song. This is conveyed on “Felt So Alive.” “Put the Bodies In The Box” has a jazzy feel that builds to a rocking chorus, again the vocal harmonies are present.
“Nobody Knows” again Bradley voice hints at Wes Scantlin of Puddle of Mudd. “Shallow” opens with a heavily distorted bass guitar and drops into Pink Floyd-ish verse that leads to the chorus again highlighting the bands vocal harmonies. This song lacks energy and seems to take up space. “Believe It” opens with an 8th note rhythm and seethes with a melodic under current. The song features a catchy sing-able chorus.
“Color the Sky” has a trippy Floyd-ish feel. Clean tones and acoustic guitars give the song a peaceful flow. “A Day In the Life” reproduces the Beatles classic and before push to the end of the album leaves you think, “wow … the is definite a Beatles influence running throughout the CD.” This is a cool rendition with the acoustic and electric elements intermingling together. “I Guess I Do” closes the album and is another acoustic number that has a Zep-ish feel. Drums and an organ fill the backing of the song behind the acoustic strumming and eventually builds up to the arrival of heavy guitars and melodic lead passages.
The Young Royals provide a nice change of pace to today’s musical trends. Mixing layers of musical textures and combing diverse influences into a solid debut effort. This band, if taken seriously, could easily grab the ears of music fans worldwide.
HRH rating: 8.1/10
- Hardrock Haven.net
by Brian Rademacher
Funny how circumstances can change a band, in 2002 when MELT still had three of the four members that now comprise the YOUNG ROYALS … Josh Howser, Eric Bradley and Adam Stanger they never seemed to get on track for success… then when they added Jason Saracco and became the new entity... YOUNG ROYALS. The talented foursome seems to have breached the road to success. Josh Howserand Eric Bradley have worked with some highly talented artists in the past such as Jerry Cantrell in 2003 and members of THE CULT and yet they were still looking to make the impression that would bring them fame.
MELT released one CD “Color The Sky” on Motor Avenue Records in 2005 and in 2007 staying with Motor Avenue released their YOUNG ROYALS debut “Day Of Truths”. Once you listen to the first track “And It Rains,” you will hear a slight comparison to Kurt Cobain( NIRVANA) and ALICE IN CHAINS.
“Happy to Know This” makes a direction change that brings a sense of BEATLISH, OASIS style, one thing that will hook you is the great songwriting and arrangements. The guitar work by Eric Bradley & Jason Saracco is technical but not over the top which is very satisfying. The songs run smoothly and the vocal power of Eric Bradley this song can attach itself to an abundance of genres.
After a great beginning I have no clue why they put “Put the Bodies in the Box” on this CD, completely out of place and does nothing for the record. Yet they bounce right back with a killer track “Nobody Knows” which you can play a mean air guitar too. After just mentioning the BEATLES, what pops up, “A Day in the Life” which is a good rendition; and reaching the last track “I Guess I Do” has a flare of CAT STEVENS meets ALICE IN CHAINS. I can’t say I am totally sold on YOUNG ROYALS but there are some songs that can skyrocket. - RockEyez.com
Discography
Day of Truths- 2007/ Debut full length CD
"All Talk, No Action"-2008/ Single for UK release
Photos
Bio
Is there hope for rock n roll? YES.
The universal truth that rock will never die has been brought to the forefront by
Los Angeles-based band YOUNG ROYALS.
Solid like a Les Paul, memorably melodic, combined with the sonic bombast of all that is heavy, YOUNG ROYALS is a band that packs an albums worth of tunes worthy of your ears, IPod, car stereo or any preferred listening device of the 21st century.
On their debut album Day of Truths, YOUNG ROYALS have metamorphosed from a group of tight technicians into a soulful, mind-blowing powerhouse, and in the process, the band has not lost any of its tightness. In fact, the band has become much tighter and heavier. It is positively electrifying. YOUNG ROYALS have definitely become a band to see live, not only to crank on car stereos while breaking the law.
After the first few chords of And It Rains, the albums blistering and beautiful opener, a veritable arena anthem, it is readily apparent the feeling of walking the line between hope and desperation. Happy to Know This, the albums second song comes out swinging like Babe Ruth pointing at the right field wall, bottom of the ninth, full count. With a hook that could catch JAWS, the songs Lennonesque play-on-words chorus, combined with the drive of Sabbaths Paranoid, youd never notice the odd time meter, because it feels so right and real.
YOUNG ROYALS do a hard rock cover of A Day in the Life that really illuminates life in the post-industrial military complex that the originals lush, upper-crust orchestration, even for all of its delectable beauty, subtracted from in terms of the lyrics matching the music. Even though YOUNG ROYALS arrangement of the classic Beatles song (perhaps their greatest) does not seem to have the dance floor on its mind, it could easily be remixed into a groove-laden, hook-heavy club sensation of many kinds, including (without limitation) Gothic hangs.
It would be impossible not to hear a single in practically every song on YOUNG ROYALS Day of Truths: Color the Sky, with its aching despair of a systematic disordering of the senses, which makes the melancholy of nostalgia into an exquisite and expensive euphoria, Put the Bodies in the Box with its no quarter, bone-crushing bliss that penetrates destruction and reveals it to be transformation a bar at a time, Shallow, with its mercurial swagger tinged with the cynicism of Kurt Cobain, but without the victim-hood, contains the best elements of rock that you've heard in a long time. YOUNG ROYALS is exhilarating because whether or not the band has sold its souls, they play in the spirit of the blues, and the blues comes through them soulfully, especially on the scorching, blues-shouting, metallic rave-up, Nobody Knows. This is the future of rock and roll as we know it.
SOME HISTORY-
YOUNG ROYALS formed in 2003 when drummer Josh Howser tracked down singer-songwriter/guitarist Eric Bradley at his day job demanding that world hear his songs and riffs! Get your gear together! We need to do this! Said Josh, on a fateful spring afternoon. The world needs us, the rock we create, and the honesty it conveys.
Feeling humbled by this request, Eric grabbed his weaponry of love; a Les Paul and a Marshall half stack. As soon as the pair began to assemble the songs and line-up that would make up this new band, Alice in Chains founder Jerry Cantrell quickly tapped the duo to complete his band for his solo endeavors. It was through Jerry that the two met the bassist and fellow rock warrior Adam Stanger. Many shows, some recordings, and a few tours followed.
While touring with Mr. Cantrell, Eric had come into his own as a songwriter and this new band would be known as MELT. By the beginning of 2006, AIC had reformed, leaving this talented ensemble to start down their own path.
Neophyte indie label MOTOR AVENUE RECORDS quickly recognized the talent, experience and power of this new band. A full-length album commenced recording in the spring of 2006, and by the fall, DAY OF TRUTHS, the debut of this new band was near completion.
A few minor details are not to be left out: the revolving/coveted second guitar slot finally being filled by the most royal Jason Saracco, a noble lad, with a rock guitar vocabulary unmatched by his predecessors; and some other band claiming the name MELT! At the discovery of this fateful truth, Eric recalled that as a 13 year-old, he and his gang of friends terrorized the suburbs of Chicago on their BMX bikes, stealing beer out of garages, hopping fences to take a moonlite dip in the community pool, being chased out of young girls houses by pissed off dads all to the soundtrack of real rock n roll. This little gang had a name, the YOUNG ROYALS!
And as it was, so it is a fitting name for a band that makes you remember why you wanted to turn it up in the first place!
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