Outerburst: ‘Phase A: Kaishi’

OUTERBURST
PHASE A: KAISHI
Released on February 1, 2016 (SantoClemenzi.com)

Review:
Outerburst is an Italian project from bass player and producer Santo Clemenzi.  The lineup includes other prominent session performers from both Europe and North America, including Californian guitarist Erik Peabody and German singer Michael Gildner. This four track EP came to life in two recording sessions over six months in Italy. As with most EPs, it is difficult to get the full grasp of a band over four or five songs, but I will do my best.

In the case of EPs or demo tapes, production is often not the greatest. Phase A: Kaishi could sound a whole lot better, given the material it has to work with. The guitars need to be much more aggressive and the drums are quite muted for this style of power/prog metal. The first single “Nightmare” is a decent hard rock tune with a bit of a more modern vein. And yet, as with the other songs, the keyboards dominate over the guitars. Not my style to be sure. “Release The Brake” is the opening track, and the purest solid rock song on this EP. The drums kick in with a slower Judas Priest style “Painkiller” beat, then soften to suit the verse. “The Crows” also starts with a similar drum pattern to “Release The Brake” which is no longer interesting. I’m not a fan of this song. It just sounds “off” — like there’s something not right but I can’t put my finger on it. Finally, “Reborn” is not quite a power ballad, and not quite a mid tempo song. Frankly, there’s too much going on packed into this song with an active bass line, heavy guitars, pounding drums, all with three different kinds of keyboards. There’s a straight piano, then some orchestral strings, and finally a synth solo which makes the keyboards feel over the top!

I think Outerburst has potential, given the cool guitars and interesting compositions. What the band needs is a good third party producer and some outside direction. Given a budget and some additional talent to work with, I think Outerburst could come up with a solid power/prog offering.

Track List:
01. Release The Brake
02. Nightmare
03. The Crows
04. Reborn

Band Members:
Santo Clemenzi – bass
Massimo Goletti – drums
Erik Peabody – guitar
Michael Gildner – vocals

Band Websites:
Bandcamp
YouTube

Reviewed by Metal Mike for Sleaze Roxx, April 2016

Outerburst – Nightmare (lyrics video)

Outerburst debut EP “Phase A: Kaishi” released worldwide on February 1st 2016, available on Spotify, Google Play, Deezer, iTunes, Amazon and many more digita…