Whiskerman - Kingdom Illusion
WHISKERMAN UNLEASHES GRAND ‘KINGDOM ILLUSION’
Straight out of Oakland, California comes the raw galvanizing rock outfit named Whiskerman. The band recently released their fourth album, entitled Kingdom Illusion.
Whiskerman
Describing the band’s past releases, Flood Magazine said, “Ecstatic psychedelia, sturdily constructed pop-rock, pick-and-grin folk all together as a single picture.”
Whiskerman’s sound blends classic rock and pop-rock, along with glam-rock into edgy, brawny music with thick pushing layers, contagious rhythms, and electrifying vocals.
The band consists of Graham Patzner (vocals, guitar, violin, piano), Will Lawrence (bass), Charles Lloyd (guitar, sitar), Dan Schwartz (drums), and Jeremy Lyon (guitar). Patzner’s voice is not only potent but exhibits across-the-board sonic dexterity, projecting smooth, melodic textures as well as rough-and-ready rasping tones designed to rattle your diaphragm.
Patzner struts his marvelous voice, delivering a brilliant performance.
Embracing eight-tracks, Kingdom Illusion begins with “Rattlesnake,” opening on an elegant classical piano topped by an incandescent falsetto oozing operatic tones. Gentle strings exude gleaming filaments, as a syncopated beat provides the rhythmic flow. A sparkling breakdown shifts the melody to baroque-flavored alt-rock flavors, as Patzner’s voice soars over the music.
Highlights include “Belly of the Beast,” a visceral rock tune full of vibrating intensity atop a driving rhythm. Strident guitars punch out hefty layers of oomph, while Patzner lights up the atmosphere with his blistering vocals.
“Be Real” opens on teeter-tottering textures of color seguing to an alt-rock melody flavored with ‘50s pop savors topped by Patzner’s passionate theatrical voice, imbuing the tune with Meat Loaf-like ambiance.
The title track travels on low-slung rock-opera hues, a blend of a quixotic piano and dripping guitars, vaguely reminiscent of Queen covering Eric Clapton’s “Layla,” only more melodic and creamier. Patzner struts his marvelous voice, delivering a brilliant performance.
Kingdom Illusion demonstrates the sheer talent of Whiskerman, offering uniquely original amalgamations of superb soundscapes.
