“ Another Messiah ” doesn ’ t return to the pace of the early part of the album , but lays somewhere between “ Blood Red Sun ” and “ It ’ s Coming Round Again ”. While the musicianship and vocals are spot on , it ’ s not a track I am instantly in love with , nor is it a track I dislike . “ Where Are You Now ” gets back to a faster pace that is more appealing to me . The hooks from guitarist AJ LARSEN and the pounding drums really come to the forefront in this track . If you can ’ t get into this song , I ’ m not sure that you are a fan of the hard rock genre . “ Why Don ’ t You Hear Me ” exemplifies the quality of work that Madison Rising has put forth on this album . The vocals , guitar , bass and drum flow so well together in this track , it would make hope that this will be one of singles released .
“ So Afraid ” saved the best for the last part of the track . Larsen ’ s guitar burned a fire right through the end of the song and I had hoped it would continue on for longer than it did . “ Madeline ” slowed things down a bit , and to this point is the closest thing you will find to a ballad on “ Battered Not Broken ”. I think it has a lot of commercial appeal and if gets a push , could reap very big rewards and accolades for the band . “ Heaven ’ s Seas ( The Beast Inside )”, the current single and brand new music video , is another song with a lot of commercial appeal . It is the ballad that breaks out into a rockin ’ ass tune briefly before reverting back to the Madison Rising version of a rocking ballad . “ On My Own ” is truly one of my favorites on the album -- unusual in the fact that it is one of the slowest paced songs on the offering . There is really something that draws you in vocally , and I find it captivating . “ Currents ”, the eleventh and final track , is just a solid rock song with string accompaniment that is well conceived and rounds out the album quite well .
There are several things you have to be able to come to grips with when you listen to “ Battered Not Broken ”. One , if you have been a fan of Madison Rising in the past , this is not just the same as anything they have offered up in the past . It , beyond the shadow of a doubt , is different . Second , if you have listened to Rio Hiett in his previous bands , specifically TEN BLADE , this is different . With those things said , I believe different can be better -- and in this case , I like how Madison Rising has grown musically with the additions of Tom Dipietro , AJ Larsen , and Rio Hiett . SAM FISHMAN , the only original member left , can pound the skins with the best of them . I ’ m sure they will continue to embrace the “ America ’ s Most Patriotic Rock Band ” moniker , but they have certainly expanded their horizons beyond that , and should acquire many fans outside of the niche they were playing in . They may well be one of America ’ s rising stars .
On JP ’ s RAWKMETER , I give “ Battered Not Broken ” 4.5 out of 5 stars . You can find out more about Madison Rising at the following websites :
www . madisonrising . com https :// www . reverbnation . com / madisonrising https :// www . facebook . com / madisonrising
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