Stardog Champion

Exhale

Nick Coyle - Vocals, Guitar

Aaron Fink - Guitar, Vocals

Mark James - Bass

Josh Karis - Drums, Percussion

Super groups seem to come and go so often now that is almost not worth taking about. Then you have side project after side project. Stardog Champion is something different. Coming from different bands to create something unique and special this quartet is just moving along their paths. Forming in 2011 after a notable dispute, Stardog Champion’s story begun and they haven’t looked back. The band quickly added two more members and headed into the studio for their debut release. When they came out they have their new 5 track EP Exhale in hand. The album gets started with “Aphrodite” which begins with a decent intro the glides right to the meat of the track. The vocals are sly and cunning while they offer up a solid lyrical set. The backing vocals chime in giving the track a little extra boost. The music is great as it gives the track a great platform to work with. It does take a few times through before you fully get the track, but this is one that you will warm up to. It just glides with ease. “Nothing To Lose” offers up some cool guitars and steady drums that will burrow into your head and stay there. The vocals also toss some smooth voices your way. Both the lead and backing vocals get involved and have this charismatic charisma to the voice in this one. They lay the lyrics on you with ease. The solo section is solid and will really get you into the track even more. This is a track that I can see being a big hit at a live show. “When We Fall” has a little attitude to the vocals in places while others you can tell that there is raw emotion flowing from their voice. The music is okay in this one. There wasn’t anything that really got my blood flowing. It’s just a standard tune that will get some work in the rotation. “House Of Cards” is another stellar track. There are some big moments in the track that sounds really good, but a few sections are a little flat. The guitar solo is great and spices up the tune a good bit, but I don’t feel it’s enough for the tune to be an “A” track. “The Switch” opens up slow and stays that way for the entire time. It’s a nice little change of pace for the band and it shows that they aren’t one trick ponies. The music really sets the mood for the tune while vocals offer up a passionate and emotional set of lyrics. It really ends the track on a good note and makes you want to hear more. Overall this is a strong EP. I like the direction that they are going with the music. They let each instrument do their thing as well as giving them the floor a time or two just to strut their stuff. The vocals are solid and the backing vocals just spice the track up. Everything combines extremely well and the transitions during the tracks are as smooth as they can be. With these five tracks I think that the band is on their way to something great.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Track List:

1. Aphrodite
2. Nothing To Lose
3. When We Fall
4. House Of Cards
5. The Switch

Website (s):  www.facebook.com/stardogchampionband