Greenwheel
Soma Holiday

THE REVIEW

An honest American rock band with a decent musical talent and the determination of those who are at the beginning and want to impose their music.

That the Greenwheel did not manage to place their album, Soma Holiday, in the European market is of little importance when considering that, as newcomers, they were included in the soundtrack of the first episode of Spiderman alongside names like Aerosmith, Pete Yorn, and The Strokes.
The album is largely driven by the talent of Ryan Jordan, with his powerful and gritty voice in full grunge style. In fact, the sound of the 4 Missouri musicians is nothing revolutionary and is influenced by current trends: a bit of new metal or post-grunge, with a nod to the tempo changes of modern progressive rock.

The album opens with "Shelter", the track included in the Spiderman soundtrack. An excellent energetic opener, with a compelling rhythm and just enough distorted guitar to put you in trouble if you're driving and need to stick to the speed limit.
The "adrenaline" atmosphere is maintained with "Sustain You" but already tones down by the third track. The Greenwheel indeed struggle a lot with ballads and "Breathe" is proof of that: the melody is familiar and is borrowed from the latest Goo Goo Dolls.
Luckily, the grit of "Louder Than Words" lifts the album's spirits, while "Strong" seems to be sung by Kurt Cobain himself. Hear to believe.
"Drowning Man", "Faces", and "Identity" are good tracks when listened to individually but in sequence they are too similar and anonymous.
At this point, the album is compromised and the listening becomes increasingly laborious and boring: "Disappear" seems to imitate Creed and "Dim Halo", despite the powerful guitar riffs, doesn't stray from the slow - fast - slow formula we've been hearing so far.
The album closes with "Radiance" and "The End", two tracks decidedly less rock than the others but more calibrated in melodies and arrangements.

After all, it is a pleasant album for those who love rock without too many pretensions and for those who want to hear Smells Like Teen Spirit seasoned in various ways.