Burn Halo is a depressingly ordinary hard rock album. This self-titled debut from the Orange County quintet, led by onetime 18 Visions frontman James Hart, apes the stripper-rock mannerisms and post-grunge clichés that make up too much of today's mainstream rock scene, hoping to lure fans who will buy just about any album that features loud guitars and an attitude. This is dreary, forgettable stuff.
This Is a Man's World ... Unfortunately
With its mixture of earnest ballads and bad-girl rockers, Burn Halo brings to mind bands like Creed, Saving Abel and Buckcherry. In other words, this is music that conjures up images of dudes burning rubber while riding motorcycles down the highway – it’s rock for guys to blast on the stereo while hangin’ with their buddies. Burn Halo make unquestionably macho music, but unfortunately their songs represent the worst tendencies of that approach. For instance, a woman in a Burn Halo track is either an evil, sexy minx or an angel sent from heaven – there is no room for a more complicated portrayal of the fairer sex. And when the band members ratchet up the intensity for an adrenaline-heavy number like “Dirty Little Girl,” they offer a lot of bluster but very little catharsis. Burn Halo worry so much about being hard rockers that they rarely let a song breathe beneath all the bravado.Dull Vocals
As a singer, James Hart is, sad to say, as anonymous as his name. In “Anejo,” he advocates the importance of substance in a superficial age, but his dull, screamed delivery doesn’t convey urgency or charisma. Likewise, the search for redemption in “Save Me” fails to generate much resonance considering the pro-forma lumbering guitar riffs and Hart’s squealing vocals. When Burn Halo switch gears and go for something softer, Hart has a little better luck, but even on the power ballad “Back to the Start” his lack of presence is a major problem.Looking for Bright Spots
Admittedly, Burn Halo does have its moments. “Saloon Song” is a mid-tempo number about a chance meeting between the song’s protagonist and a beautiful woman that’s familiar but melodically engaging. “Here With Me” has a yearning quality to it, although Hart’s vaguely Axl Rose-ish vocal makes the track feel a bit derivative. And “Dead End Roads & Lost Highways” finds the group turning up the volume to solid effect. Even on these high-water marks, though, there’s a nagging sense that Burn Halo just isn’t very inspired. Again and again, Burn Halo remind you of other groups you’d rather be listening to right now.'Burn Halo' – Best Tracks:
“Saloon Song” (Purchase/Download)“Here With Me” (Purchase/Download)
“Dead End Roads & Lost Highways” (Purchase/Download)
Release date – March 31, 2009
Rawkhead Rekords
