Ah, Jason Bieler! As a big fan of his old band Saigon Kick it’s always nice to hear new music from this guy. I wasn’t even aware of his two solo albums Houston We Have A Problem (1998) and Where Dreams Go To Die (2018) – I need to look them up – but his last effort, now with The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra added, Songs For The Apocalypse (2021) has gotten quite a few spins from this guy. The album was partly really good but it contained lots of songs, too many, and I couldn’t help but to think there were a few fillers too many for a really high score. That said, I know the potential of the guy so I still have some high hopes for his brand new record.
The album opens with “Bombay” that holds a captive intro that takes the song into an upbeat and quite heavy hybrid of Prog and melodic Hard Rock/Metal on a stompy and rhythmic beat. It’s a driven tune with direct melodies, a glistening hook and unescapable vocal harmonies in the chorus that throws a wink back to his Saigon Kick days. The dynamics changes with the heavy, dark and slow passage. A very good opener. The following “Numb” blends some thrashy riffage with rhythmic beats, tribal influenced drums and a robust guitar sound. But that’s not all. On top lies some fine-tuned and almost poppy melody-hooks that easily could’ve found its place on an early Saigon Kick record. It’s dark, heavy and raunchy but also very melodic with a masterful chorus that sticks like glue. Brilliant.
“Heathens” takes yet another turn with its ZZ Top influenced rock-boogie grooves. It’s a crunchy rocker with a huge swing with shitloads of uplifting and infectious melodies. The main riff holds a raunchy edge and the straight forward structure brings on a live-friendly vibe while the vocal melodies blends Water era Saigon Kick with a more 80’s flirting touch. The chorus is spot-on. Great stuff. Bieler brings out more mellow and melancholic arrangements when the acoustic guitar driven ballad “Mexico” shows up. It’s a warm song that holds a colorful soundscape, a pompous outlook where the vocal melodies and the harmonies are nothing short of stunning. It’s a brilliant tune with a magnificent refrain that’s more addictive than any drug out there.
The ballad vibes continues with the slow and down-beat “Birds Of Prey”. Clean electric guitars blends with acoustic ones and a piano with some inserted orchestration that takes the tune into a more grandiose musical landscape. The gorgeous melodies has Saigon Kick dancing with The Beatles and the harmonies really shine. Again, the chorus is captivating and grabs a hold right from the off. Awesome. On the other side of the coin “Flying Monkeys” goes into Prog territory with bouncy and intricate beats, rhythmic yet freaky and a spacey melody-arrangement. That said, the vocal melodies borrows from Pop and the chorus is distinct and even though it might need a few spins to stick, it will stick. I dig this.
The single “Sic Riff” is slow, dark and heavy with a monster Metal riff that says hi to Tony Iommi. It’s an edgy tune, muscular and powerful with a raw outlook and quite frankly, it comes across as something Saigon kick could have left in vault while recording The Lizard (1992). It’s a strong number with a chorus that catches on without being the least radio-friendly. It’s sort of weird but it still catches on. Good one. The sparse and sombre acoustic slow number “The Dephts” is a stripped down, low-key and dark affair, very beautiful and embracing with lots of nuances. Bieler brings Jon Bon Jovi’s deeper moments from the early 90’s to mind here – and that’s a good thing. A great song and a nice breather.
Upbeat yet in a mid tempo, “Beneath The Waves” holds a lot of stuff. At the same time as it feels quite modern it also brings out an 80’s Arena Rock vibe with a radio-friendly synth prominent complete with some amazing Queen meets Sweet vocal-harmonies and pop-laden melodies over punchy beats, heavy and raunchy riffs and a colossal refrain that takes a stranglehold and never lets go. Superb. On a more mellow note the acoustically driven “Sweet Eliza” opens with a country-flavoured intro and continues down-beat, stripped and low-key as a serene ballad. The chorus is bigger and more bombastic yet still on a held-back note and it really sticks. Very good.
Also slower in pace, “9981 Dark” holds some Alice In Chains like mellowness and melancholy and stands on the threshold of balladry. The clean synth sound brings 80’s synthpop to mind but with embracing melodies all over that feels even uplifting with lots of harmonies and the chorus is magnificent and catches on like a house on fire. Awesome. “Feels Just Like Love” is more of a straight ahead hard-rocker with some tuned down and chuggy guitars and a ballsy rhythm section, quite in-your-face. The verses are even slightly punky and very direct while the big chorus takes on a more Arena Rock vibe from the early 90’s, really catchy. A good tune.
“Bear Sedatives” is a mid tempo, prog-laden pop-rocker with some crunchy guitars and a straight-forward rhythm that holds an edgy groove yet with some smoother melodies and brings on more of Bieler’s very personal vocal-melody arrangements that again takes us back to the Saigon Kick days. Very good. Again on a slower note “Deep Blue” blends bluesier touches with a bit of West-Coast/AOR outlook. The verses brings on some mellower melodies and a stompy rhythm that brings Devin Townsend to mind whereas the the poppy refrain comes across as a Ghost meets Toto hybrid. It’s a good tune but somehow I can’t make it stick. Despite the fabulous comparisons mentioned.
Bieler closes the album with another slow tune, the acoustic guitar based “Human Head” which is pretty close to going singer-songwriter on us. Also released as a single the cut is laid-back, introvert and sparse but also quite deep and soothing. At first. After a while it brings on a more upbeat rhythm and takes on a dramatic feel with some bombastic orchestration before it returns to its stripped down arrangement from the beginnings. The melodies are all embracing and captivating where the vocal-hooks makes the tune impossible not to surrender to. Very good.
As a whole, this album is way better than its predecessor. Mostly because it’s not as intricate and easier to get into and while some stuff on the debut felt like it was being weird for weird sake, here it feels like the songs are in focus – don’t overdo it for the purpose of overdoing and many times less is more. That’s right, Yngwie. What also got me going here is the look-backs to his Saigon Kick days. Not that he’s stealing from himself by any means, it’s just that Bieler’s melody language is very personal and those Saigon Kick type melodies that lies in his DNA shines through more often here. It’s also an unpredictable album, you don’t know where the record will go from one song to another but it has Bieler’s personality tying every jump together with brilliantly written songs. And this time 15 songs is a plus. Well done indeed.
8/10
More Jason Bieler & The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Bombay
2. Numb
3. Heathens
4. Mexico
5. Birds Of Prey
6. Flying Monkeys
7. Sic Riff
8. The Depths
9. Beneath The Waves
10. Sweet Eliza
11. 9981 Dark
12. Feels Just Like Love
13. Bear Sedatives
14. Deep Blue
15. Human Head
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