Melodic Revolution Records Feature Band | November 2016 (Pt 1)
Sunshine & Bullets | Triangulum Mechanism 2014
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Release Year: 2014
Country: USA
Genre: Alternative/Hard Rock/Indie Kill Metal/Female and Male Fronted
Band Members
Rich Keane Jr – Vocals/Guitar
Amanda Hamers – Vocals/Bass
Kyle Wolfram – Drums
Track Listing
Escape From Andromeda
…Go
Down
Accusation
Vilify
Give Them Hell
Pulse
Heartbeat
Don’t Fade Away
Truth Is
Risk
Now Or Never
Feel Good
Missing Pieces
Believe
Time
Forget
The End
Untold Stories
The Mechanism
Contact Links
Sunshine & Bullets Official Website
Sunshine & Bullets Official Melodic Revolution Records Profile
Sunshine & Bullets Official Facebook Page
Sunshine & Bullets Official Reverbnation Profile
Sunshine & Bullets Official Twitter
Sunshine & Bullets Official YouTube Channel
Melodic Revolution Records Official Website
Melodic Revolution Records Official Store
Florida has had a very rich musical lineage over the last 50 years or so. First in the later 1960’s to early 1970’s the band that really put Florida on the map originally was Lynyrd Skynyrd out of Jacksonville. They would later go on to influence something called ‘Southern Rock’. Soon bands such as Allman Brothers Band and .38 Special would follow road Lynyrd Skynyrd laid. Although ‘Southern Rock’ would be plagued with great loss and grief that did not stop the metamorphosis of the Florida music scene.
Meanwhile in the world of jazz and fusion another well developed jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius better known for his legendary work in Weather Report, Pat Metheny and Joni Mitchell. Jaco is still considered by many to this date the ‘Godfather Of Jazz Bass’ and that merit really can not be disputed. Jaco would later influence the likes of Flea, Joni Mitchell, Sting, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Geddy Lee, Bootsy Collins, Carlos Santana and even Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo who produced a film documenting the life of Jaco.
In the 1980’s the musical history of Florida would become a little richer in its heritage. This time in the realms of heavy metal music. While the United Kingdom and Los Angeles California were able to boast about their respective metal scenes, so would Florida on two metal fronts progressive power metal with bands such as Crimson Glory and Savatage. However Florida’s biggest metal export would be the late 1980’s to early 1990’s ‘First Wave Of Death Metal’. In the ‘First Wave Of Death Metal’, bands like Brutality, Obituary, Deicide, Morbid Angel and Chuck Shuldiner’s DEATH would all give birth to the modern global death metal movement still going today. But there always seems to be newer artists and music movements in Florida.
One such band at the forefront of what I call Melodic Post Alternative Hard Rock is Sunshine & Bullets. In as much as the previous mentioned bands I spoke about within Florida’s rich musical history, I feel Sunshine & Bullets have an approach and unique distinctive sound that we will look back on 20 to 50 years from now and place them at the top of some rock family tree maybe not as much pioneers as they will be seen as innovators of music.
Florida seems to produce quality original bands in style, genre, approach and presentation. They never produce watered down clones that exist for the case of just existing. Sunshine & Bullets are a true originals in style, genre, approach, sound and presentation. With only three members in the band Rich Keane Jr – Vocals/Guitar , Amanda Hamers – Vocals/Bass, Kyle Wolfram – Drums, the band has seemed to carve their own way instead of following and produced their own unique and distinct sound that really can not compare to any of their modern day contemporaries.
Formed in 2010 the band has certainly seen its share of growing pains however have always had a way of falling right back on their feet and continue with growth and maturity for such a young band. The band’s official 2014 debut release Triangulum Mechanism proves that very fact. In a musical climate where the industry has a handful of producers creating cookie cutter crap and in a industry way too dependent on useless algorithm’s, Sunshine & Bullets really worked hard to form their own unique sound. Triangulum Mechanism is one of the most powerful yet professional modern debuts I have heard in the last 15 years.
On their 2014 debut Triangulum Mechanism the band truly has this less is much more post rock style atmosphere. They have removed most of the overdubbed tracks that some people think are needed with a band their size. I get this impression that they play live in studio during the recording process and later going back to do the vocals separately. This approach is also brilliant meaning that it provides the band with the confidence needed to perform what they do in studio out on a live setting on the stage. Amanda and Rich’s vocals not only play off the stringed narrative but also hit in the necessary places on the rhythm half of the music as a whole.
The band seems to put out the sound of a seven piece band with only three members. Although stripped down in size, Sunshine & Bullets manage to produce a huge and powerful fury within their chord progressions. A lot of this has to do with the seven string guitar played by Rich with the thunderous fury and grace on the bass from Amanda. Time and time again on the 20 tracks on Triangulum Mechanism the band manages to go outside the typical three chord progression 4/4 time signature and play and produce forth much fuller chord progressions that carefully ride the line between modern prog rock and modern post rock/metal.
Triangulum Mechanism is a conceptual/thematic album meaning their is not a central plot or conceptual story going on, it is more a common topic and theme of science fiction throughout the 20 tracks on the album. With 20 tracks it is a clear indicator of the great detail and care given to the album. This album is more crafted and recorded instead of just written and recorded. There are some wonderful segues between some tracks that are usually missing in the modern alternative post rock/metal circuits. The band totally displays a clear vision and carefully carries the vision to its final fruition. None of the tracks sound like the same thing over and over again. This album guarantees that the listener gets absolutely no time to get bored. There is something always changing up on a sonic level.
Triangulum Mechanism also is an open window into the band’s potential to not only write songs to appeal to the modern rock audience but also appeal to those who like their music heavier and extreme. This will be far more discussed in the other half of this band feature of the month when I go in and review their new full conceptual story EP titled “The Centauri Conspiracies: Part 1”.- (The Awakening ) . The EP “The Centauri Conspiracies: Part 1” – (The Awakening) is far more heavy and brutal. You can go to “The Centauri Conspiracies: Part 1”- (The Awakening). As for Triangulum Mechanism I give this a 4.5/5 for careful attention to detail.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-As5knGjaQ]
