Eric Martin
Destroy All Monsters

Ertic Martin is an unflappable person, often smiling but so calm, giving him a confident image, although he is a little rock elf.

But Eric, besides having a pretty prominent personality, has the great merit of not repeating himself, and of creating his own distinct musical persona. It would be hard to imagine him now, a solo artist without the Mr. Big backing him up. He has released solo albums, to be fair, but here in Italy, they have always been somewhat overlooked. And since Mr. Big is now a thing of the past, Eric continues his solo career with his Eric Martin Band and delivers a very good album, well played with rocking atmospheres and very catchy melodies, that are instantly engaging.

"Destroy All monsters" shows a Martin who still knows how to deliver with his voice: this is the most important element of the album. Eric has that voice that still moves, that engages, and at certain moments (the sweetest parts of the album) is sweet and transporting. Certainly, the album in the long run becomes a bit boring, despite the boom of the first tracks: "What's the worst that could happen" starts with a very rock groove, a pleasant track and Eric's voice shines, as does the more rhythmical "Kansas", enhanced by a good performance from the musicians backing him up. "I Woke up too late" starts with a really nice and impactful riff.
Up to now, the album is very engaging, inviting continued listening: it is captivating, even for those not used to this kind of rock. So far, it's a well-played, melodic rock, without further qualitative pretensions. The same standard continues with "Janie won't open" and "Where are you". Two tracks confirming the characteristics of this album, leading to the beautiful "You are too good for him". The usual beautiful and emotional ballad.

"Living in a black & white" breaks this flow and enters a song proposing very good melodic solutions, but leading us to a listening experience that from now on will be quite monotonous and without truly noteworthy sparks. "Something there" is a good song, but reflects the patterns of the previous tracks. "What if" is instead fast but rather unpleasant as a song. Eric, on the other hand, becomes annoying in the following "I can Die now", with almost reggae rhythms describing a rather tedious piece. "Burning in My mind" relentlessly continues without development the usual rock evolutions both rhythmic and vocal, while I find "If" almost pathetic, a track that would fit well in the middle of the album, but not as the final track.

Ultimately, an album I feel I can split in two: a very good first part, and a second part that is low on energy, almost bored and most of all boring. An album that after 6 tracks becomes monotonous and predictable. Hats off to the voice and his ability to create something without recalling his illustrious past.

However, a little more could have been given.