Revelation of Dan's "Mystery Contender" for 2010

[heavyharmonies]

Before I talk about the CD itself, I want to say how surprised I am on how little discussion it has garnered here on the board.

 

I found the CD, not through normal AOR/hard rock channels, but I happened to be shopping at Best Buy of all places (anymore I only go there 2-3 times a year) and this CD was one of the weekly bargain discs in their ad. I check those out, and if the artwork looks like something I might appreciate, I'll take a gamble for $7.99 or whatever. I saw this one and said "Ok, this looks right!" Being on Roadrunner Records, it had promise.

 

Well, the rest, as they say, is history. Certain tracks struck me immediately, while others took time to grow. The more I listened to it, the more I liked the overall lineup from beginning to end. It's great driving music at high volume.

 

 

What is the CD?

 

Taking Dawn - Time to Burn.

 

It's modern rock in some places, and true '80s hard rock in others. The production is top notch, and the songs are just damned catchy. What also impressed me is the guitar work on the CD. The solos are screaming.

 

Here are 3 of my favorite cuts from the CD at 320kbps. Play them LOUD!

 

1. Endlessly. This song rapidly became my favorite cut on the CD, even though it's at the end of the disc. I can't quite put a finger on why, other than the hook of the chorus just grabs me.

 

2. Fight Em With Your Rock. Incredibly cheesy lyrically, but a great kick-your-dick-in-the-dirt rocker.

 

3. Take Me Away. GREAT epic anthem!

 

I thought that Geoff would get it, as he's come the closest in terms of the discussion of the disc. Geoff hated the inclusion of the cover song at the end of the CD, whereas I think it kicks total ass. Then again, I like covers. The original version of the song "The Chain" was performed by Fleetwood Mac, and while I always liked the uniqueness of the track, Stevie Nicks' vocals just gave the song an overall "wimpy" feel. This cover version gives the song some serious balls while retaining the flavor of the original. It's one of my favorite tracks on the CD.

 

 

 

 

[heaven&hell]

I always forget about this disc and then I pop it in and it blows me away all over again. Not a bad tune on the disc IMO with "Close Your Eyes" being my fav.

[zacharyamelie]

OK, I can forgive you for not picking Treat, because Taking Dawn is the best thing not to come from Sweden/Finland in 2010.

 

On my personal best of list, the Taking Dawn won't surpass the Treat, Crashdiet nor likely Crazy Lixx at years end, but it will surely be in my top 10.

 

I've said it before, the track ''Godless'' is what Lillian Axe should be doing. It's dark but killer, close your eyes and you'll be able to hear Lillian Axe do this one.

[Glen]

Ha ha. The disc which Geoff said he would eat his testicles if it slipped out of his top 10!!! Well it is a great disc, which is why I started the thread on these guys. I must admit though that my favourite track is the bonus 'Can't Leave You Alone' which is totally excellent. It's still residing in my top 10 but only just. Cheers

[Jez]

Good disc in places, 'Endlessly' especially, but not a top tener for me this year.

[JC_AOR]

Great disc, still surprised though!

[Glen]

Good disc in places, 'Endlessly' especially, but not a top tener for me this year.

 

well it wont be by the end of the year in any case.

[Geoff]

Hmm, interesting. I agree it's a very good disc and to be honest, Dan, of our other discussions, this is probably my most played CD of the year so far. And loud as hell everytime too.

 

I do like it a lot, and like Glen, it might still just be in my top 10 (just checked and it's literally at number 10 at the moment) but it's actually losing momentum with more spins.

 

Don't get me wrong - love it. 'Endlessly', 'Never enough', 'Close your eyes' and 'Take me away' are all prize possessions.

 

'Like a revolution', 'Save me', 'Time to burn' and 'Fight 'em with your rock' are all good things too.

 

However, 'So loud' and 'Godless' have pretty much done their dash with me, and I still hate 'The chain' and immediately press stop after 'Endlessly', considering it a 10 track album. I wish they'd put 'Can't Leave You Alone' as the closer, which like Glen says, is an awesome track.

 

It's a great CD, an especially awesome debut. But to be totally honest, doesn't compete with Treat for me.

[DrumRman]

This band does nothing for me. Perhaps if I had a top 5,000 list it might make it.

[Captain Howdy]

Not a bad album at all.

Certainly a lot catchier than Treat for me, but still not a match for Reckless Love, Ratt and Jettblack.

[TIM (2)]

I guess I don't really see what this has to do with Modern Rock at all? Maybe the production, nothing else. It has the 80's Hard Rock image and sound but isn't anything different or better than most other bands with an 80's influence (i.e, Disciple, Hinder). Though there are a couple of outright killer tunes.

[melodicrockoz]

while I cant imagine this being the number 1 album in this year's top 10, this nevertheless a great album & kinda not far off from treat's latest album. A real enjoyable listen.

[JamesEagle]

This band does nothing for me. Perhaps if I had a top 5,000 list it might make it.

 

Thank goodness it's not just me!

 

This revelation was always going to please some people and disappoint others. As my tastes are often seen as utterly rubbish by other members, it won't surprise you to learn that I am firmly in the latter camp. After the huge build up, I'm very disappointed at the announcement.

 

I've listened to a few tracks off this one and certainly won't be buying it. For me, 'Fight Em With Your Rock' is just an average rock song, 'Time To Burn' is boring and 'Take Me Away' is just horrible; the 'la la la' section is cringeworthy. The 30-second sample of 'Endlessly' sounds okay. The best I've heard is 'Like A Revolution', which I might download. The cover version is quite good and has a really nice guitar solo.

 

Oh well, can't please them all. I fear that ostracism beckons for me...