martindavey87 I knew immediately upon their formation that I would love this band! Formed by three of my all-time musical heroes, Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo and Fozzy, Mike Portnoy, one year removed from his tenure with Dream Theater, and Russell Allen, powerhouse vocalist of Symphony X. Some of my favourite bands right there. This was amazing!

Except, their debut self-titled EP was a bit of a disappointment to me. Not only was it the most expensive single CD I’ve ever bought (being sold directly by the band themselves and having to be imported from America), I was gutted to find out that Rich Ward (my hetero man-crush) didn’t actually play on the recordings, but merely posed for the pictures. Unfortunately he’d already left the band by this point, leaving sole guitar duties to virtuoso Mike Orlando.

And with that, the band recruited Disturbed bassist John Moyer and released their debut album, 2012’s ‘Omertá’, a hard-hitting, pull-no-punches and take-no-prisoners affair, which offers traditional heavy metal with a huge dose of groove and energy. Brimming with driving guitar riffs and a pounding rhythm section, the music is unapologetic in its raw aggression and attitude. And vocalist Russell Allen, renowned for his incredible range and passion, really nails the anger and emotion needed to bring the music to life.

The production on this album is fantastic as well, giving the music an incredibly heavy and thick sound, and helping the band live up to their name. Tracks like ‘Undaunted’, ‘Indifferent’, ‘Psychosane’, ‘Feelin’ Me’, ‘Hit the Wall’, ‘All on the Line’, ‘Believe Me’ and ‘Down to the Floor’ are all massive metal anthems that can make you feel unbeatable, and not only do they make up for the rather shoddy EP the group had released the year prior, but establishes Adrenaline Mob as more than just another supergroup side-project, but a legit band with a bright future ahead of them.

adg211288 Omertá is the debut full-length album by US heavy/groove metal act Adrenaline Mob. The 2012 album follows on from the self-titled 2011 EP release, from which all the tracks except a Black Sabbath cover re-appear on the album. Adrenaline Mob are probably most known by now for featuring the vocal talents of Russell Allen and the drumming of Mike Portnoy, both big names from the progressive metal genre with Symphony X and Dream Theater respectively. Omertá is one of a few albums to be released in 2012 to feature Portnoy’s talents since his departure from Dream Theater. Despite the major prog connections, the music of Adrenaline Mob is pretty far removed from either Dream Theater or Symphony X.

Of course anyone who checked out the 2011 EP will already have realised that, and Omertá feels very much like the unabridged version of the EP. For those that decided to skip over the EP and wait for this album though, the sound is part groove metal but with more aspects of traditional heavy metal in the sound than the likes of Pantera or Lamb of God have. Coming to Omertá expecting a prog supergroup will only end in tears in other words. To be fair the sort of music the prog greats have thrown themselves into here is very much a step down, and I for one wasn’t overly impressed with the EP, but leaving any prejudices aside Omertá certainly isn’t a bad release in its own right. This is a very riff driven kind of music, but the real highlight is Allen’s vocals. The man is suited both to this music and his normal stuff with Symphony X in equal measure, and sometimes uses some more aggressive vocals than normal during the course of the album, giving it extra bite. Undaunted is the perfect opener to give the listener a good impression of what the Adrenaline Mob sound is all about. It’s also one of the best tracks on the whole album, if not the best.

Although it feels more solid overall as a more complete package than the EP did, Omertá does ultimately still suffer from the same issues. Adrenaline Mob are a solid heavy metal band but with perhaps the exception this time of that opening track Undaunted they never really manage to wow me, and there is a bit of a consistency issue between the tracks. I’d say it just about earns a ‘great album’ rating from me this time around, where the EP was only ‘good’ but if I’m after traditional metal, whether it is groove metal based or not, Omertá wouldn’t ever be the first album I’d come to. It should carry a range of appeal among metal fans, from traditional metal to groove metal and even fans of alternative metal acts like Disturbed or Godsmack, but even when trying to keep an open-mind I can’t help but feel this was the wrong direction for musicians like Allen and Portnoy to throw themselves in. They’re good at it, but they are masterful at progressive metal, and if there was ever a fan alienating album, then that album is Omertá.

7.5/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org) on 08/09/2012)

Time Signature Undaunted...

Genre: groove metal

Since Adrenaline Mob count Mike Portnoy and Russell Allen as members, one could easily be tempted to think that Adrenaline Mob is a progressive metal project. But if you have heard their EP from 2011, then you should know that this is not the case. Adrenaline Mob's style is straightforward groovy heavy metal.

Adrenaline Mob basically keep the style of last year's EP on their debut full-length album "Omertà" (in fact, a lot of the tracks from the EP also appear on this album). So do not expect Dream Theater-like long and complex songs or Symphony X-ish epic power metal opuses. The main ingredients of Adrenaline Mob's music are in fact the hitherto little-known guitarist Mike Orlando's crushingly groovy riffs. Groove metal indeed had its heyday in the 90s and imploded on itself because of the many Pantera clones that populated the scene then, but, with "Omertà"m Adrenaline Mob show that there is certainly nothing wrong with groove metal itself, if only there are talented musicians behind.

the music is straightforward, but that does not mean that nothing is done out of it. Adrenaline Mob features some of the world's best metal musicians. Mike Portnoy delivers precise drums and beats that fit Orlando's riffs perfectly. And, while Orlando may not be the world's most famous guitarist, he is definitely among the world's best guitarists. Not only are his groovy riffs extremely compelling - his solos are a hundred percent virtuous without being show-offy or cheesy. And Russell Allen's powerful vocals, of course, complete the picture brilliantly.

"Omerta" contains four of five tracks from the 2011-EP, which might be a problem for some listeners, but then again there is an interesting cover version of Duran Duran's 'Come Undone', with Lzzy Hale from Halestorm contributing guest vocals .

Do not expect epic progressive metal from Adrenaline Mob, but, if you like groove metal, then "Omertà" should give you many an eargasm.