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01. To Live and Die by
Fire
02. The Worst is Yet to Come
03. In Place of Hope
04. White Walls
05. Bliss
06. Cherished
07. With What You Have
08. Kelsey
09. Recovery
10. I Can Revive Him With My Sorrows
11. Stare and Wonder
12. Blossom, the Witch
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Getting out of the shadow of an older sibling is never an easy
task - it takes perseverance, strength and an almost indomitable
spirit to strike out on one's own and create an identity independent
of those who came before. Hailing from Grand Rapids, MI –
a compact burg that stands in the shadows of Detroit Rock City and
its hallowed rock n' roll lineage – Still Remains have set
out to make music that accepts what has preceded them but is determined
to take it in fresh, new directions. Still Remains create music
that is multi-textured - full of depth, passion and hope. Combining
biting guitars, atmospheric keyboards and rhythmic drumming, this
quintet from middle America has more in common with Euro-metallers
In Flames and Soilwork than they do with anything that has ever
come out of the Motor City.
Still Remains had a legion of ready fans for its homemade EPs,
and its first album, 2004's independently released If Love Was Born
to Die, sold a respectable 5,000 copies. The fledgling group moved
to bigger rooms as well, opening for groups such as Poison the Well,
As I Lay Dying, Every Time I Die and others.
It was with this impetus that they caught Roadrunner's attention,
signed with the label and shortly thereafter entered the studio
with producer GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Project
86, Kittie). The result is Of Love and Lunacy, an album that is
not so much concerned with traveling the heavily-treaded metal path
of 'faster-faster, more-more' but rather the kind of music that
makes you stand up a little straighter and feel like you can take
on the world on your own terms. “White Walls” is driven
by an unrelenting rhythm section and scorching riffs, barreling
along until it takes flight, with vocals switching from growl to
soaring croon. “The Worst Is Yet To Come” is anthemically-charged,
switching gears mid-song from full-on hardcore assault to a searing
chorus, with Roth's lush keyboards adding depth and atmosphere to
the proceedings. No two songs on Of Love And Lunacy sound alike
- each one taking a different musical path to reach its creative
destination.
While not a concept album, it was important for the group to maintain
a cohesive theme between the cover art/booklet and songs on the
record. Explains Miller, “When I was writing this album I
was going through phases of happiness and severe hurting. I wrote
what I was feeling and the words love and lunacy best represents
those emotions. The colors in the two lines of people on the cover
reflect "love" and "lunacy, hence the name of the
album."
"This band is the thing we're really passionate about,"
Miller says. "This is our chance. I think everything we've
done before this was to be Still Remains. We want to really take
it out there and show it to everyone." It is that focus that
has thrust Still Remains out of the shadows and into the spotlight.
Not content with being the red-headed stepchild of Detroit Rock
City's various progeny, Still Remains have combined talent and ambition
to deliver a sonic wallop that will make the listener straighten
up and pay attention from the first note.
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