ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

CD Review: SUSAN AQUILA Miss Conduct (Original Kitchen Records) by Xan

SUSAN AQUILA
Miss Conduct
Original Kitchen Records
My first impression of Susan Aquila's vocal style was "a cleaner Wendy O. Williams" but it would seem that she has more strings to her bow than this, as it were. Although what is clear is she delivers the vocals in a husky hard-rock style that you would expect from this genre.
And what genre is that? Hard rock...glam metal even...if that nomenclature still exists in realistic terms these days. Whatever you want to call it, this type of music has enjoyed quite the resurgence in recent years.
The songs are solid, punchy and hit hard just as they should. Certainly, Susan knows how to craft a track well. One thing that definitely sets her apart is her use of the violin. Sure, The Great Kat did this too, but she was working more in a metal framework rather than hard rock. I don't think I have ever head a violin being used in this way before & integrated so seamlessly.
The album rocks it's way though quite nicely. It would appear that someone has put some effort into the placement of various songs into the track list. The sound is perfectly good too, in that modern digital sound kind of way that we have come to expect in recent times. Although Susan's the star, the rest of the band are really great too. Some awesome lead guitar is sprinkled throughout this release.
I found I could not finish this review just by listening to the album, I needed to *see* how this whole violin thing works out in a more live setting. I was quite impressed. She has some cool videos. The green-screen work on 'The Wall' kind of reminded me of Fadades though.
If you're into hard rock, this is an album for all occasions. The presence of Susan's violin adds an extra dimension to the sound, yet never distracts from the basic thrust you would expect from a release such as this. -Xan

Track list:
1. Dirty Delicious
2. Miss Conduct
3. Twisted
4. Gris Gris Woman
5. Lightnin'
6. Why?
7. I Can't Tell You
8. The Wall
9. Sooper Gurl
10. Tell It to the Doctor
11. Ugly
12. No Where

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