Adrenaline Mob was formed in 2011 when Symphony X singer Russell Allen combined forces with Mike Orlando and Dream Theatre drummer, Mike Portnoy. The line-up has since been tweaked, replacing Portnoy with Twisted Sister drummer A.J Pero and the acquisition of Disturbed bassist John Moyer.
“Men of Honor” is the latest release from the most current line-up, and is the second release to date. It follows a similar sound to the band’s first release, sticking with the classic heavy metal sound that Omerta rang out in 2012. However, the formula is weak and suffers from sounding boring and at times repetitive. Russell Allen's vocals are what take away the most from the overall sound of the recordings, often being the part of the song that should be dodged in order to get a feel for the decent instrumental aspect. Moyer, Pero, and Orlando crank out some fairly heavy tunes that can be enjoyable, especially the fast paced “Feel the Adrenaline” and “Mob Is Back”. However, these songs are usually dragged down when the vocals kick in, often leaving me to try and find the next enjoyable track on the album and coming up empty handed.
The overall concept of the band is interesting, but often ends up sounding like a mishmash of sorts, with each track feeling sloppily put together. The overall sound of the album just feels very “mid-tier”, as if it’s a side project that doesn't quite have the passion that each individual member has for their own separate bands. The generic sound the band opted to go for on Men of Honor leaves me feeling like a lot more could have been done with the album, but it just ends up missing the mark. Fans of Disturbed and Symphony X may find something on the album that they enjoy, but only a few tracks really stand out with the rest feeling very forgettable.
Dave Edwards, HMS
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