Simply put -- this is a great CD.

Sonic X's second CD, Thirteen, is a great melodic hard-rock CD that builds on the sounds of the late-80s and early 90s but still sounds fresh and relevant today. A lot of reviewers have compared this disc to Bon Jovi and, while I can hear the basis for the comparison, I don't think it accurately describes the band's sound. Imagine a harder-edged Bon Jovi (without the keyboards), pre-1988 Whitesnake, the harder side of White Lion (and guitarist Lawrence Falcomer can hold his own against Vito Bratta), or the John Corabi fronted version of Motley Crue and you should get a sense of what this band sounds like. The majority of the tracks on this CD could and should get frequent airplay on the rock radio stations around the country. Guitarist Lawrence Falcomer also plays some incredible leads throughout this disc. It is probably inappropriate to compare Falcomer's guitar work to Zakk Wylde's work on the latest Ozzy CD (still thinking about my recent review of Ozzy's Black Rain CD) but Falcomer's guitar work really outshines Wylde.

There isn't a bad track on this disc but there are a couple tracks that I think will become big radio hits. Tracks like "Evident" or "Seeds of Thunder" should help break the band in the US market. There are a number of other tracks like "Carried Away" and the acoutic-guitar based "Shine" that could easily make it on to the radio once the band breaks. Hopefully Sonic X will tour the US in support of this release as I think they will quickly earn a loyal following.

Links:
Sonic X's Main Website (link)
Sonic X's MySpace Page (link)
Chavis Records (link)