Lillian Axe
Deep Red Shadows
(Love & War Records/ MRI)

Deep Red Shadows, the new album from Lillian Axe, is a mélange of loud and soft guitars and some rather expansive moods.

The first track, “Under the Same Moon,” begins with Eric Morris’s roiling metallic bass, quick-clipped scary lyrics, and a melodic middle bridge showcasing singer Derrick LeFevre. “47 Ways to Die” opens with great harmonies from the other band members (guitarists/songwriters Sam Poitevent and Steve Blaze) with a chorus that reminds me of something Queen may have produced. We also get our first real taste of lead guitar here, and then more so later on the life and death quandary of “The Quenching of Human Life.”

The band gets nice and subtle (at least in the beginning) of “A Minute of Years,” featuring some creative drumming from Ken Koudelka. “Sad Day on Planet Earth” and “Nocturnal Symphony” are two beautiful acoustic songs.

The very last tune, the title track, is acoustic again, but the guitar work here is completely different than the acoustic pieces before. In fact, I even hear some shades of old Steve Hackett coming through. For me, “Deep Red Shadows” is the best song on an overall tight album.