REVERY – Avarice & Absolution

Revery hit hard with their debut release, Avarice & Absolution. There is no denying the rock-solid cuts carved out on this album, through and through. Strong vocals, big guitars, and catchy songwriting make Revery stand out from the crowd.

Cursory comparisons can be made between Revery’s basic style and that of Stone Temple Pilots (STP) and Creed. While Revery is not offering anything revolutionary within this contemporary brand of Blues-based Hard Rock, they make an impact nonetheless. Their strengths are found not in imitation or revelation, but in the strong personality they bring to the “straight-ahead” genre.

The most obvious aspect of what impresses about Revery is the superior vocals of Jason Martinez. Full-bodied and soulful, Jason’s singing accounts for much of the band’s charisma. He is diverse and able to find the right feel for the song, from the bombastic “Sugar Star” to the haunting “Secondhand Redemption.” His voice has a robust quality with the flavor of Scott Weiland (STP) and Scott Stapp (Creed), and even a hint here and there of David Draiman (Disturbed).

The strong backbone of David Doyle on drums and Kenny Adcock on bass keeps the music pumping. David’s brother Mike Doyle (lead guitar) and John Adkins (guitar and vocals) fill out the sound with rhythm work in the vein of STP. Appropriately so, the sound is raw overall, which gives the music the tenacious kick that makes it rock. Mike likes the wah-wah and employs it extensively on solos. The only negative criticism to offer here is that, although a classic wah-solo generally fits this music like a glove, the album would benefit from less reliance on the wah pedal in favor of variations in lead tone that would lend more individuality to each song.

Subject to this constructive criticism, the album is not without overall variety. “3 Weeks,” for example, adds acoustic guitar and a non-wah, electric solo; “Secondhand Redemption” is a slow, beautiful ballad utilizing clean electric styling; “Truth” has a Metal-edged hook and verse that work with a Pop-ish chorus; “Penelope” blends just the right amount of a Country feel, reminiscent of, believe it or not, Hootie and the Blowfish.

Revery have gigged extensively and promise to be as impressive live as in the studio. Avarice & Absolution is infectious from the first song, gets better as it goes on, and demands a listen all the way through — and tempts again, and again … no absolution for you.