(Melodic Hard Rock) Hurtsmile - Hurtsmile (ex. Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone) - 2011, MP3 (tracks), 320 kbps

http://cddvdreview.blogspot.com/2011/01/gary-cherone-extreme-2010-interview.html
The latest from Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) who has teamed up with his brother Mark to write his most succinct record to date. The self-titled, HURTSMILE is a raw sonic sucker punch in the face! From the opening buzz saw riff of “Just War Theory” to the epic finale of ”Slave” and “Beyond The Garden/Kicking Against the Goads”, Gary continues to push and poke you in the ear with his lyrically provocative themes.
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Extreme and one-time Van Halen front-man, Gary Cherone, is finally on the verge of getting Hurtsmile (his side-project with his brother that began in 2007) off the ground with the release of their debut album on Jan. 19 in Asia, Jan. 21 in Europe and Feb. 8 in the US. Is it classic Extreme? Van Halen III? Something new entirely? The answer is, “D: All of the above.” Although it is filled with a diverse variety of musical styles, including the reggae inspired “Just War Reprise”, it is first and foremost a hard rock record, complete with Gary’s impressive soaring vocals (even though at times he sounds like a completely different person).

For those unacquainted with this project, Hurtsmile consists of Gary’s younger brother, Mark, on guitar (once a member of the band Flesh with Nuno Bettencourt’s brother Paul), Joe Pessia on bass (once a member of Nuno’s Dramagods as well as the guitar player for Tantric), and Dana Spellman on drums.

The name Hurtsmile was created by Gary and it’s based on a term that he and his brother came up with when they were young kids. He explains it like this, “that term came from like if someone got hurt, if they fell down and they were in pain but didn’t want to cry in front of the rest of the kids, they couldn’t hide that. They tried to smile through the pain and everyone would point and go ‘Hurtsmile, hurtsmile!’. Hurtsmile, isn ´t that what we do in life? Smile through pain?”

Although it’s musically diverse and, at times, typically Cherone eclectic, there are many standout tracks on this release, none more so than the title track, “Just War Theory”. The album opens with one of the heaviest tracks on the disk and, vocally, Gary seems to be channeling Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten to great affect. If the Pistols ever want to reunite and Mr. Rotten isn’t interested, look no further than Mr. Cherone. Seriously. It’s an excellent, heavy-guitar song and is lyrically reminiscent of the classic Extreme tune “Rest in Peace”, pondering the virtues of war. There is great bass work throughout and a nice lead solo in the middle. This is an extremely high energy, up-tempo rocker and a killer way to kick off this disk. The repeating chorus of “No justice, No Peace” pretty much captures the lyrical content of this song. Interestingly, towards the end of the disk the band reprises this song, choosing a reggae style that would make Bob Marley proud. Not exactly what you’d expect on a hard rock record, but somehow it works.

Other standout tracks are mid-track songs “Kaffur (Infidel)”, “Tolerance Song”, and “Jesus Would You Meet Me”. “Kaffur (Infidel)” has a guitar lead-in reminiscent of prog rockers like Yes or Pink Floyd. Then the drums arrive along with the singing (through voice effects). The song was inspired by the murder of reporter Daniel Pearl. It questions what it takes to be a martyr and whether or not you would be willing to die for your beliefs. Lyrically, it’s quite disturbing since it is told from the point of view of the murderers.

“Tolerance Song” opens with Gary screaming the classic Rodney King quote “Why can’t we all just get along”. It has a heavy guitar riff and, once again, effects on the vocals. It’s an extremely up-tempo song with grungy guitars throughout. “Jesus Would You Meet Me” is a very interesting church revival song. It’s certainly not hard rock but it’s a great showcase for Gary’s voice. It features an acoustic guitar, complete with hand claps that make you feel like your standing in an old country church on a hot summer day praising the good Lord.

The other standout track is the final cut “The Murder of Daniel Faulkner (4699)”. It’s a cool, acoustic tune with Gary this time channeling Bob Dylan. Musically, it has a nice Tex-Mex feel to it. It’s about the true-life story of a police officer killed in the line of duty, complete with bagpipes at the end. Although the victim’s name may not be well known, his killer has reached pop culture status with many people, famous musicians included, supporting his release. Hurtsmile is just the latest in a long line of bands to sing about this case, alongside bands like Rage Against the Machine, the Black Crowes, Chumbawamba and others.

The rest of the songs are also quite good, including “Stillborn” (a modern, mid-tempo rocker with heavy guitar tones, evoking grunge sounds like Stone Temple Pilots or Alice in Chains), “Love Thy Neighbor” (starts with a cappella singing — can you say “More Than Words”? before kicking into a cool grungy guitar rhythm), “Painter Paint” (a lovely acoustic piece), “Set Me Free” (a James Gang sounding guitar lead-in that starts promising but then goes mellow before picking back up again towards the end and features the mantra “Save me from myself”), “Slave” (a keyboard-heavy song with a nice bass lead-in… “Never gonna be a slave”), and “Beyond The Garden – Kicking Against The Goads” (Another acoustic tune with a seventies soft-rock feel).

Overall, this is a very heavy and extremely diverse record. Fans of Extreme will definitely like it as well as all hard rock fans who have an open mind to different musical tastes. http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2011/hurtsmile-hurtsmile/

Gary Cherone - Vocals (Extreme)
Mark Cherone - Guitars
Joe Pessia - Bass, Mandolin
Dana Spellman – Drums, Percussion