Adrenaline Mob: Dearly Departed review

Melodic hard rockers Adrenaline Mob are a super group of sorts, comprised of Russell Allen from Symphony X on vocals, guitarist Mike Orlando, Erik Leonhardt from Tantric, who recently replaced John Moyer of Disturbed on bass and A.J. Pero of Twisted Sister, who recently replaced founding member Mike Portnoy on the drums. The band have been very busy since coming together in 2011, pretty much putting out a new album every year, constantly touring in support. The band is cashing in on the success of their previous covers album Coverta from 2013 by releasing a new collection of covers called Dearly Departed on Century Media. The album was produced by Allen and Orlando, who also handled the mixing and mastering and comes hot on the heels of their 2014 smash Men of Honor. The funky bass line and bluesy guitar riffs in opener “Snortin’ Whiskey” add a nice punch to the ridiculously good Pat Travers original, while the revamped radio friendly version of title track “Dearly Departed” from the Men of Honor album has a definite Foo Fighters feel to it. The band’s stunning cover of the Charlie Daniels Band hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” marks that rare occasion when the reimagining actually surpasses the stellar original. Kind of like what Quiet Riot was able to accomplish with their rousing rendition of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize” or what Judas Priest did with their uber heavy version of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Green Manalishi.” The album also contains ethereal, atmospheric acoustic remakes of “Angel Sky” and “All on the Line” from the Omerta album as well as “Crystal Clear” from Men of Honor. Speaking of the Men of Honor disc, there is also a previously unreleased gem from the Men of Honor sessions called “Gets You Through the Night” that will leave you wondering why it was ever omitted. Without a doubt, one of the album’s other standout highlights  is the band’s epic 8 minute Black Sabbath medley that traverses through classics like “Into the Void,” “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” and “Killing Yourself to Live.” The disc concludes with a fist pumping rendition of “Tie Your Mother Down” that doesn’t stray far from the brilliant Queen original. Here’s the bottom line- It is very rare that a covers compilation is worth buying, but like the Dio This Is Your Life cd and the Nativity in Black tribute to Sabbath that came before it, Dearly Departed is audibly enticing. Rating: 8/10 -Eric Hunker