Speakerfire, Audio Alchemy

Speakerfire hails from Buffalo, and apparently the snowy winters have allowed the band ample time to hone their craft. Audio Alchemy is the perfect name for their album, as it’s an interesting amalgamation of all alt-rock leanings. In the band’s bio, they list comparisons to the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age, but that’s a tad ambitious. The band is more melodic and musically leans more Saves The Day or Underoath. There are seven tracks listed but two of them are under-one-minute instrumentals, so this is really more of an EP than a full-length. As for the five remaining tracks, there’s not a dud among ’em.

The songs range in mood from rockers “Synthetic Shepherd,” which sound like Velvet Revolver if the band was made up of members of Mudhoney and Every Time I Die, to “Lupercalia” and “Omega,” which both have a more somber and emotional side to them without using tired clichés to dupe the listener. On each track, the band musically creates a perfect foundation for Ian Wiedrick’s vocals to lead the song. One part that must not be overlooked is the bass playing of Jon Skowron; he knows when to play something special and when to just lay back and follow the song.

Every week, the big-box stores feature “Artists on the Rise.” Out of all those CDs, maybe a couple are as good as Audio Alchemy. Hopefully with the horrible weather conditions affecting the North, the band will sequester themselves away and record another gem. Maybe then someone will include them in a Sunday insert.