Fiction Syxx
Tall Dark Secrets
Melodic Rock Records
2017
Fiction Syxx is a newcomer that consists of well-known musicians that have proven their music value over the years and have offered us great music on the whole. The band was formed by vocalist, guitarist & songwriter Mark Allen Lanoue (Chasing Karma, Biloxi), who brought the multi-talented guitarist, songwriter & producer JK Northrup (King Kobra, XYZ), his old bandmate Rory Faciane on drums, “The Fretless Monster” Tony Franklin (Kenny Wayne Shepard, The Firm, Blue Murder) on bass and finally the splendid keyboardist Eric Ragno (Joel Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet) on board.
Musically, Fiction Syxx blends hard rock with melodic rock and on top of that they add some melodic metal touches and a few prog rock ones here and there. Their music is melodic but without being too softy or popy… it retains its rockin’ aspect nonetheless. The production is powerful and tight. The album was mixed, produced and mastered by JK Northrup at Alien Productions Music Studio, Carmichael CA, USA. The performances are simply remarkable and every track has something to offer to the listener… given Mark’s amazing voice, the rockin’ riffs or the superb guitar & keys solos. I do fancy that Fiction Syxx do not fear to become harder or more melodious when need be. They do not add any “barriers” to their music and they leave themselves free to play the music they like. We shouldn’t forget that a bunch of renowned musicians are participating in the album, such as: Jimi Bell (House Of Lords, The Geezer Butler Band), Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Steve Brown (Trixter), Christian Wentz (Circle II Circle, Futures End), David Cagle (International session vocalist), Karl Cochran (Rated X, Farcry), Carl Sentence (Nazareth, Don Airey), Thorsten Koehne (Edens Curse) and Lee Small (Shy).
“Tall Dark Secrets” is a genuine hard rock album that has all those characteristics that make this kind of music authentic and irresistible. For instance, the album opens with the splendid melodic hard rocker “Given Sight”, which gives the album’s identity right away. The other two tracks, “Play on Words” and “Tow the Line”, continue in the same pace and showcase that the guys know how to deliver wonderful melodic hard rockin’ music on top of everything. There are several tracks that you’re gonna fancy here, like “Welcome to My Nightmare”, “Larger Than Life”, “Your Promised Land”, “Spirits Collide”, “Time to Heal”, with its progy touches, and “Children of the Night”. My personal favorite and one of the top tracks for 2017 is the catchy semi-ballad “Where We Belong”. Another strong point is the terrific guitar and keyboard solos. It ain’t easy to find albums that have such inspired lead parts, especially nowadays. Closing, I should point out that “Tall Dark Secrets” is one of the best hard rock albums for 2017. I’d like to see how this band will evolve over the years, but all that I wish is to make it at long last, cuz they truly deserve it more than anything.
Musically, Fiction Syxx blends hard rock with melodic rock and on top of that they add some melodic metal touches and a few prog rock ones here and there. Their music is melodic but without being too softy or popy… it retains its rockin’ aspect nonetheless. The production is powerful and tight. The album was mixed, produced and mastered by JK Northrup at Alien Productions Music Studio, Carmichael CA, USA. The performances are simply remarkable and every track has something to offer to the listener… given Mark’s amazing voice, the rockin’ riffs or the superb guitar & keys solos. I do fancy that Fiction Syxx do not fear to become harder or more melodious when need be. They do not add any “barriers” to their music and they leave themselves free to play the music they like. We shouldn’t forget that a bunch of renowned musicians are participating in the album, such as: Jimi Bell (House Of Lords, The Geezer Butler Band), Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Steve Brown (Trixter), Christian Wentz (Circle II Circle, Futures End), David Cagle (International session vocalist), Karl Cochran (Rated X, Farcry), Carl Sentence (Nazareth, Don Airey), Thorsten Koehne (Edens Curse) and Lee Small (Shy).
“Tall Dark Secrets” is a genuine hard rock album that has all those characteristics that make this kind of music authentic and irresistible. For instance, the album opens with the splendid melodic hard rocker “Given Sight”, which gives the album’s identity right away. The other two tracks, “Play on Words” and “Tow the Line”, continue in the same pace and showcase that the guys know how to deliver wonderful melodic hard rockin’ music on top of everything. There are several tracks that you’re gonna fancy here, like “Welcome to My Nightmare”, “Larger Than Life”, “Your Promised Land”, “Spirits Collide”, “Time to Heal”, with its progy touches, and “Children of the Night”. My personal favorite and one of the top tracks for 2017 is the catchy semi-ballad “Where We Belong”. Another strong point is the terrific guitar and keyboard solos. It ain’t easy to find albums that have such inspired lead parts, especially nowadays. Closing, I should point out that “Tall Dark Secrets” is one of the best hard rock albums for 2017. I’d like to see how this band will evolve over the years, but all that I wish is to make it at long last, cuz they truly deserve it more than anything.