Edwin Dare--The Unthinkable Deed (1992)
Rating--9.1
Take Your Stand--RealAudio Waiting For the Chance--RealAudio
Throw Dream Theater, Queensryche, and
Judas Priest all in a bag together, shake and bake a bit, and out comes Edwin Dare. Primarily a four-man unit, though a fifth-man
keyboardist gets credit as well. Pure technical ecstacy on all fronts, as axeman Jeff Kollman shreds in the same vein as
Malmsteen and Bettencourt, while wailer Bryce Barnes goes from LaBrie to Tate to Halford--all in the same
song. Razor-sharp distortion, and excellent songwriting from start to finish. How is it bands like this are doomed to not be heard
by the masses?...
It's going to be hard not to comment on almost every song, because there are nonstop riffs and
highlights. "The Killer" gives a good taste of the band's knack for rolling, biting choruses. "Just a Heartbeat Away" features a
Priest-like riff, and reminds of Radakka as well. The keyboard section in the middle establishes a
nice gothic atmosphere. "Burning Feeling" features a great riff and vocal groove mix--these guys really know how to
work it. The pulsing bass and drum work gives way to a time change around the 4-minute mark, which conjures visions of
Lynch and his esteemed Mob...
Check out the stutter riff in "Love Poisons the Mind". Stellar vocal
work once again. "Take Your Stand" starts out with a strong Lynch-esque riff, and then melts into a fast Priest chug complete
with a Halford wail. Fast and precise, but at the same time you realize it's pure Edwin--this is where one hits his forehead, and knows
the band has a sound all its own. "Waiting for the Chance" sounds like Malmsteen-meets-Priest, and has a super chorus--the fast
rhythm never let up, and the bouncing groove keeps the head moving. "When We Had it All" is a nice ballad with
a strong chorus, and would have sold the band a million records had it been released in '88.
Finally, "Edwin Shreds" is an all-instrumental, all-acoustic
piece, but contains some of the fastest fretwork on the disc! Rich with texture, as Kollman shows his stuff...
TRACK LIST: Do Me Right/It's Not For the World/The Killer/A Right and a Wrong Way/Oh Darling/Don't Need No Money/
Just a Heartbeat Away/Burning Feeling/Face the Truth/Love Poisons the Mind/Edwin Shreds/When We Had it All/Take
Your Stand/Waiting For the Chance
Premium Comments:
"I was lucky enough to see Edwin Dare open for Dio in 1993... I hadn't heard of them at
the time, but they completely blew me away. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to pick up their
album for years... but this was well worth the wait."
-- Max in Black
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