Label : Shredrock Records
Review by Tony Cannella
From Hollywood, California the band Edge of Paradise plays guitar-driven traditional melodic metal with some modernized touches to their songs. In addition to the core members of the band, Edge of Paradise were joined by such diverse guests as vocalist Robin McCauley (ex-MSG, Survivor), bassist Tony Franklin (EX-Blue Murder, Lana Lane, etc., etc.) and drummer Greg Bissonette (ex-David Lee Roth). Despite having those big names contribute, Edge of Paradise is still powered by the lead vocals of Margarita Monet and lead guitarist Dave Bates.
Upon first listening to “Mask” I was very impressed with the guitar tone and sound, it definitely has a 80s like guitar virtuoso feel to it, next are the vocals of Margarita Monet. She has a style that is perfect for metal; her voice sounds huge and packs plenty of power. Getting to the songs, there is plenty of cool material to be had on “Mask” and they are able to provide something that you don’t hear from a lot of metal (male or female fronted) these days. “Mask” includes 9-songs and only 30-minutes worth of music which – this is a short album, which is one of the few disappointing things that I can think of. Edge of Paradise comes blasting out of the gate with “Falling Down”. From there the band proceeds to tear through such songs as “Tail of the Gun”, “Mask”, “We Breathe” and the excellent “Walk the Line” which has a heavy 70s Aerosmith vibe to it. “Mask” is concluded by three instrumentals that should keep all of the guitarists in the audience happy. “Shredenstein” is actually a cover of the instrumental classic “Frankenstein” by Edgar Winter. “Mask” is concluded with the Van Halen-ish instrumental “Fire” which is quite cool. There is no doubt that Edge of Paradise is a great outlet for some outstanding musicians, but I still much prefer the songs with vocals on them. It’s all good though. “Mask” was released in 2011 and Edge of Paradise is gearing up new material, including the single “In a Dream” which was mixed and mastered by Michael Wagener. It really looks as if Edge of Paradise is ready to take off in the coming months.
Rating – 88/100
Tracklist
- Falling Down
- Tail of the Gun
- Mask
- We Breathe
- Thrown it All Away
- Walk the Line
- Shredenstein (Frankenstein)
- I Come In Peace
- Fire
Line Up
- Margarita Monet – Vocals
- Robin McCauley – Backing Vocals (Guest)
- Ryan Jones – Backing Vocals (Guest)
- Dave Bates – Guitars
- Tony Franklin – Bass
- Bjorn Englen – Bass (Guest)
- Greg Bissonette – Drums