Worth The Effort
Mike Woodell and Kevin Griffin aren't new to the music scene. Having played together in various bands since 2000, the American pair formed Method To Madness in 2006 and have since released two albums, both of which have garnered much attention but it is with their latest release, Guilty As Sin that find the duo having stepped out of their comfort zone, making an album that both intrigues and excites.
Guilty As Sin finds Method To Madness broadening their horizons, opting for the chance to create a concept album but forget any notion of a mellow, easy going concept album, Method To Madness seem inclined to avoid any easy option, instead basing the 15 track offering around the story of a policeman who is framed for a crime and encompassing all that he endures when he is imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. The journey starts with opening track, The Long Road Home an atmospheric heavy piece that basically lays the ground work for the album's story, introducing the main character amidst woeful lyrics that come alive alongside haunting guitars and vocals entrenched with emotion. From this the American band unleash the aggressive rush of Eyewitness Overture, an instrumental piece that paves the way perfectly for the frantic pace of It's A Crime complete with news like sound bites that help to set the scene yet further and propels the album along nicely all held together with metal fused riffs and booming drum beats that culminates in a sound bite of the jury's verdict, yet again reinforcing the album's agenda. With the scene set Guilty As Sin is let loose to tell the story of the policeman's wrongful imprisonment from the rage fuelled threat of Welcome To Paradise that bristles with thundering beats and intimidating bass lines to the heart wrenching agony of Meltdown, Method To Madness brilliantly portray every conceivable emotion that would accompany such a story. Engaging, thought provoking and brimming with emotion, Guilty As Sin will not fail to have an impact.
If you are after an easy listen that doesn't want you to participate then switch the radio onto a commercial station and wait for the latest pop flavour of the moment to accost your ears as Guilty As Sin just isn't going to give you that sugary sweet fix. This is an album that needs your full attention from the very first note played and whilst that might not make for an easy listen, the end result more than makes up for the effort.