By Cathy Moore of Moore Rock Shots & Reviews
For Rock All Photography and Music
Have you ever heard the saying that “sometimes a whisper is louder than a shout”? This is how I would describe the debut self-titled studio album from Nashville rockers Edge Of Free. It isn’t the typical hard rock album with banging drums, shredding electric guitars, and shrill screams. It’s subtle but powerful, and it grabs your gut and holds on tight from start to finish.
Comprised of singer Scott Sneddon and guitarist John Hussey, Edge Of Free is modern rock with a combination of acoustic riffs and heart-felt lyrics that are both melodic and hard-hitting. The sound is reminiscent of Soundgarden or Collective Soul, but the stories told on this album are poignant and personal to these two brilliant musicians.
Produced by Toby Wright (Alice In Chains, Korn, Tantric, Metallica), Edge Of Free’s debut, self-titled album is an intimate collection of honest songs powered by Hussey’s dynamic music and Sneddon’s dark melodies, soaring choruses, and gut-wrenching lyrics about depression, drug addiction and recovery. This album reminds us that life can be tough as hell, but something beautiful can ultimately come of it.
With disarming honesty, songs like “Blood Eagle,” “Pushin’ The Needle,” and the first single from the album “Pony,” we can hear and almost experience the tumble into depression and other struggles that Sneddon and Hussey have faced through the dark tones and lyrical content of the record.
“In My Time (Falling)” is a hauntingly beautiful song that really showcases Sneddon’s vocal range and the chemistry between his voice and Hussey’s exquisite musicality. It has symphonic undertones as well which just adds to the power of the song.
The album’s title track, “Edge of Free”, is my favorite on the album. It feels like a song of survival – of victory over the demons that haunt us. The lyrics “stand beyond the edge of free…” compel us to take that one more step to something better. I don’t know if this is what Sneddon had in mind when he wrote it, but that’s what I feel when I hear it.
“We have been through some heavy shit together,” says Hussey. “Drug addiction, divorce, near death experiences and finally the completion of our first record.”
In eight songs, Edge Of Free sings of addiction, love, loss, and survival with pure passion and brutal honesty. It’s not loud. It’s not aggressive. But it is impactful and it is absolutely breathtaking.
VIDEO FOR “PONY”
CONNECT WITH EDGE OF FREE ONLINE:
https://edgeoffree.com/
http://www.facebook.com/ edgeoffree/
http://twitter.com/edgeoffree
http://www.instagram.com/ edgeoffree/
http://www.youtube.com/ channel/ UCLq42un89knwBeoGeUkI5yw
