Gregory Allen – Vocals
Mike Chavez – Guitar
Mike Lopez – Guitar
Aron Orosz – Bass
Barrett Gardner – Drums
The band from
Phoenix, Arizona, 32 Leaves, hit the scene back in 2005 with their debut album Welcome to the Fall. The five-piece hard rock/post-grunge toured throughout 2006 and 2007 supporting the album.
During the touring they shared the stage with such acts like 10 Years, Crossfade, Evans Blue, Smile Empty Soul, and Trapt.
After splitting with their label they decided to continue the new album themselves. On march 15th they released
their second major album titled Panoramic. The album features 12 songs and an
intro track. The “Intro” opens the album up with a simple sound that springs into the track “Protocol.”
It maintains that simple sound with sweet drum play and standard guitar play. The vocals flow in and out of the music sharing
the spotlight. If you listen to the track without the intro is seems weird how they begin. So I recommend playing them together.
“Disarray” keeps the steady pace going with another flowing track with great guitars that, although are in the
backdrop much of the track, seem to take center stage and really catch your attention. The vocals are pretty solid as they
maintain their form for much of the song. “Way Beyond” is a slower track with well defined vocals that are super
clear. The chorus picks the music up a bit as well as heightened the coals volume up a bit. The lyrics flow perfectly with
everything and the backing vocals give the song a bit of flavor. It does start to repeat a bit too much for me at the end
of the track though. “Seal My Fate” begins with a simple picking at a guitar and Greg’s voice. It then explodes
with some raging guitars and pounding drums. Once Greg gets back to the singing they tone down the music so that you can hear
him. It’s an okay track coming off 5th. “Slave” is another slower track, but you can really get
into this track. The chorus steps it up enough that you will find yourselves getting into the groove. The other parts have
unique vocals with a bit of an effect on them. This one will find its way onto the set list with a nice intro to it, I can
almost guarantee it. I love the end of the track too. “Sideways” also has a bit of a Tool or 10 Years vibe to
it and that’s not a bad thing. It offers up back to back kick ass tracks that you can jam to. It flows through its progressions
like a snake slithering through the forest under the fall leaves. “Human” keeps the intensity going with another
great track. The vocals are a bit strange in parts of the track, but the presents of backing vocals add a bit of spice to
the track. It’s another one that can find itself on the set list from time to time, if not all the time. It just flows
and meshes so well. “Erase All Memory” opens with a lot of cymbals and guitars that continues through the entire
track. The vocals are a bit weird and repeat a lot in the track. “Safe Haven” is a slower track with heavy drums
being dropped like bombs going off. The guitars float by with the lyrics as they just drift into the air and down the road.
“Endless Shadows” glides by with some cool guitar play and drums as “No Meaning” delivers anther okay
track. It doesn’t offer anything that is going to top the charts, but will please their fans. It gives another performance
that could be listened to a few times a week. It’s not one of those that will be on repeat, but has potential. “Only
Want to Mend” ends the album on a great note. It’s a track that could be repeated over and over. The music is
great as well as the vocals. It cruises with a nice beat of drums and followed by the guitars that gives you something to
play on your side or steering wheel. Overall this is an okay album. It doesn’t give anything that will top the charts
or blow you away and leave you speechless, but on that same token it doesn’t have anything horrible either. Everything
is solid on this album and fans should enjoy it just as they did the debut. The band has some years under their belts now
and as they grow even more the chart topping hits with start rolling in. I expect great things for these guys in the future
and they will use their writing skills from this album and blossom into something that can and will become great. Take a peek
at this album on their MySpace page.
Rating: 7 out of 10
My favorite tracks:
Slave,
Sideways, Only Want to Mend
Track List:
1.
Intro
2.
Protocol
3.
Disarray
4.
Way Beyond
5.
Seal My Fate
6.
Slave
7.
Sideways
8.
Human
9.
Erase All Memory
10. Safe Haven
11. Endless Shadows
12. No Meaning
13. Only Want to Mend
Website (s):
www.32leaves.com
