R.A.R. (Robert Anthony Robinson Band) – Truth

The Truth Shall Set You Free

The great Pacific Northwest has always been a hotbed of musical talent in the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal scene with bands like Queensrÿche and Alice in Chains, and just a bit farther south in Vancouver Washington there comes a group who is re-defining a genre. R.A.R. (Robert Anthony Robinson Band) is releasing their 2nd album Truth as a follow up to Dig, and the sound is heavy, yet soulful, chunky yet melodic, and packed with feeling that comes through in the music. The band is masterminded by Robert Robinson (ex-Passion Fatal, Wild Dogs) who writes, plays guitar and sings, with David Kendall (ex-Gargoyle) on the drums, Chris Olney on bass and Brian Mc Grew on guitar to round out a very talented lineup.

Soul Metal

R.A.R. – Truth is a 7 song album that delivers a dynamic range of heavy melodic groove, with a ton of soulful vocals and shredding guitars. All those elements together produce a new genre they call Soul Metal. The opening track “Blood in the Water” has a unique blend of Thrash, Groove and almost Grunge elements that blend together to make for a strong opener that hits you in the face right from the start and keeps pounding till the last note. Next up is “This is Gonna Hurt” which has a more wide open sound with huge vocals, syncopated drums and kick ass guitar that drives home the message. All of the tracks show a maturity in song writing and performance that makes it clear that R.A.R. belong in the big time.

Final Notes

Band leader Robert Robinson has been fine tuning his band and sound for the last few years, and it looks like he’s struck gold as this is the best work by the band to date. The production is very good, the songs are well written and performed, and the overall product is slick and a great listen. R.A.R. does not fit a cookie cutter description, as they have blended enough styles to have a sound that is all their own. Fans of King’s X, 7 Dust and pyrotechnic guitars will be in love with Truth, and should add this gem to their music collection.

Lineup

Robert Anthony Robinson – guitarist/singer/songwriter
Chris Olney – bass/ vocals
David Kendall – drums/ vocals
Brian Mc Grew – guitar

Truth – Tracklist

1. Blood in the water
2. This is gonna hurt
3. Break it all again
4. Parties
5. Truth
6. Convincing
7. Face