It is immediately clear why Sully Erna formed a separate band to record the ten songs on his recently released solo CD, Avalon. The album is far too acoustic-oriented musically and much too mystical thematically to work for his mega-million selling band Godsmack.
Dark, mystical, unpredictable, and at times, downright scary. Yet, Erna’s songwriting always walks a fine line, keeping his band from falling into a horror movie soundtrack mode by creating a pulse that conjures images of action. A less talented composer would have failed to keep this music above that.
There is so much subtle detail in Avalon that the album stands up to repeated listening. Each time you play it you hear some notes, textures, and instruments that you didn’t pick up on the last time. There is quite a bit going on in each track.
Erna’s inclusion of cellist Irina Chirkova and Dead Can Dance drummer-percussionist Niall Gregory leads to extra layers of haunting, mournful, and ultimately beautiful melodies and tremendous exotic rhythms. And talk about a lead singer with his ego in check. Erna graciously shares lead vocal duties with New England’s belter Lisa Guyer. Guyer, whose picture takes up the inner sleeve artwork, is the highlight of many tunes on Avalon, her intense, rangy voice filling in much of the space behind Erna and alongside him. She also contributed to the writing of Avalon.
A tune called “7 Years” becomes a driving mesh of loosely slapped percussion, Guyer’s rushing vocal coo, and slamming electric guitar. “Broken Road” opens with Erna’s majestic piano, every note resonating in its own individual space. His vocal asserts itself over the piano, handsomely, smoothly, rising above the confines of hard rock and piano ballads toward true freedom of artistic expression.
None of the tracks on Avalon can be easily categorized or labeled into a specific genre. I’m not sure if Erna’s label and the radio station programmers will know what to do with this album. But fans of anything different will zealously purchase this CD.
“Sinner’s Prayer” became the biggest song on Avalon because Erna’s production teamed made two videos of the song. Irina Chirkova’s cello melodies haunt and inspire the imagination as an infectious, tribal rhythm and medieval chant draws the listener into a dark, mystical universe from which there is no escape. Erna’s and Guyer’s vocals mirror each other in a strange dance of voice that echo with fear and remorse. Erna gets bad ass in a style that he never could with Godsmack.
Pleasantly peering into the heart of Erna is “My Light,” a tune that lets him reach deep into a place of emotional honesty. The song unfolds with a steady acoustic guitar stream and a flow of midi flute notes. Erna reaches deep into a place of inside himself and brings that forward, letting it burst inside his gritty vocal delivery. Guyer, belty and lofty as a choir, serves up an extra layer of vocal spark just behind Erna. Keyboardist Chris Decato maintains his steady breeze of organ notes, another subtle, tasteful flourish that works here. Bass player Chris Lester puts in the right kind of throb in each tune while remaining understated throughout.
Humming synths and an urgent cello mark “The Rise,” a song sure to be treat for New England listeners as Lisa Guyer sings lead vocal, holding notes forever over a busy tribal beat. She fleshes out Erna’s vision for this tune, finding the perfect timbre and rides it home. “Until Then” is a mournful weave of piano and cello that create a platform for Erna to emote vocally. He pierces the heart with his sad, plaintive honesty. You can feel how Erna was feeling when he wrote this. His voice lilts beautifully, and this one song, sang over a sparse backdrop to emphasize his voice, makes you realize how much he has been contributing to the busy, driving, frenetic sound of Godsmack for the last 15 years.
Moving closer to hard rock aggression is “The Departed.” The song, still, is wholly original and becomes almost a new genre. Ancient sounds abound in the percussion and in Lisa Guyer’s sustained vocal notes in her chant. Erna may have been listening to baroque, old European folk music, and some classic rock when he wrote this album. “Eyes Of A Child” mixes the best flavors of acoustic rock and baroque flute. Hard rock urgency in Erna’s voice reminds of his Godsmack work, yet the tune remained something fresh and original. “In Through Time” closes out the album with more dark ambiance, with just a hint of edgy guitar from Tim Theriault, an effect that works wonders by doing little. By the time this Avalon concludes, the listener has been well rewarded for his time. Avalon offers a great amount of originality and many fine musical details.
www.sullyerna.com