BLACK SWAN
“SHAKE THE WORLD”
Album Review by Syl Pdll

10/10

Black Swan is a band created by the Italian label Frontiers Records that reunites Robin McAuley (McAuley Schenker Group) on vocals, Reb Beach (Winger, Whitesnake) on guitar, Jeff Pilson (Foreigner, The End Machine, ex-Dokken) on bass and Matt Starr (Ace Frehley, Mr. Big) on ​​drums. In February they released their debut album titled “Shake The World” where the four musicians exchanged ideas getting involved in the composing process.

The song of the same name from this album “Shake The World” is presented with a melody to the rhythm of the drums and the guitar. A song in which each of the members shines with its own light, clearly appreciating the execution of the instruments and the vocal part where Robin McAuley is heard wasting energy and freshness in a song that calls for unity and strength in difficult times.

“Big Disaster” is a song that evokes the group in which Robin McAuley joined forces with Michael Schenker and formed McAuley Schenker Group (also known as MSG) where this american singer shows his powerful voice in combination with a sound hard rock with an influence of the music scene around the 80’s. lyrically, it is a song that teaches us that time is also a form of learning based on our actions.

“Johnny Came Marching” is a song that places us in the context of war and that tells the story of a soldier who seeks to rejoin his daily life after being a participant in a warlike conflict in defense of his homeland and his people. The vocal interpretation denotes the accumulation of emotions from Johnny’s vision that range from the love he feels for being with his loved ones to the anger and despair when evoking the images of the war and which is in keeping with the musical part, since in the final part perfectly describes the situation of chaos and destruction in which this story culminates.

The fourth song on this album is “Immortal Souls” and features a more melodic sound, perfectly describing a story characterized by nostalgia and the hope of reuniting with a loved one. It is a song that brings together part of the musical influences of the bands that were once part of the members of Black Swan and that show in this self-titled album a different and fresh proposal in which each of them shines with their own light.

“Make it There” is a ballad in the broadest sense of the word, since on a lyrical level it tells the story of a broken heart in a couple relationship in which the musical accompaniment transmits that feeling of melancholy and sadness through the combination of acoustic and electronic instruments evoking the time when melodic metal had its greatest boom in the late 80’s and 90’s. Simple and simply beautiful.

Breaking with the romantic part of this album we continue this musical journey with “She’s On to Us”. A rhythmic song whose chords from the Reb Beach guitar, Jeff Pilson’s bass and Matt Starr’s drums are presented constantly and repetitively forcing us to move to the rhythm of the music and that in combination with the voice of Robin McAuley create a unique harmony. The choir will make you sing at the top of your lungs.

Continued with this set of rhythmic melodies that shows an interesting fusion between classic and modern rock, “The Rock That Rolled Away” is shown, showing Robin McAuley’s versatility in interpreting high and low voices, making it one of the more complete songs from this album in addition to the musical accompaniment that is presented at the end of it denotes the passion and energy that the other members squander.

“Long Road to Nowhere” describes the sensation of anguish and uncertainty that human beings come to feel when facing difficult moments in work or personal terms and in which we do not find the light at the end of the tunnel. The execution of the bass, the guitar and the drums take us to a path that we have been walking without any destination.

The introduction of “Sacred Place” through the chords of the Reb Beach guitar in combination with the lyrical part move us to a church because the theme that is addressed is related to faith. A rock ballad that teaches us to believe in something to get out of complicated situations or to find meaning and meaning in life itself.

“Unless we Change” takes up the aggressiveness that characterized the first songs of this album, presenting some melodic parts in the choir whose lyrics invite us to reflect on the current world situation in which, as there is no change on our part, it will not be generated a transformation. Robin McAuley denotes feelings of anger and despair in her performance adding theatricality to the song.

The song that closes this album is “Divided / United” being a ballad whose lyrics continue with the social theme addressed in much of this work. This song invites us to reflect on the division that has been generated as a society, highlighting the importance of being united beyond personal differences to have a better world.

This self-titled album reflects the chemistry generated between Robin McAuley, Reb Beach, Jeff Pilson and Matt Starr during the composing process, resulting in songs with a high sentimental load that force us to reflect on our actions and the impact we generate on others. This album promises to be one of the best works done so far this year.

TRACKLIST

Shake The World
Big Disaster
Johnny Came Marching
Immortal Souls
Make It There
She’s On To Us
The Rock That Rolled Away
Long Road To Nowhere
Sacred Place
Unless We Change
Divided/United

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