One of the cool things about having this site is the new music I get to listen to.  Bobaflex, Shallow Side, QUOR, Ragdoll, Scattered Hamlet and many more..  There’s  a ton of new rock out there.  Look for it and find it, cuz it kicks ass.

I’ve never heard of the band Wayland and I haven’t listened to anything they’ve ever done.  I wanted my first experience with the band to be the first time I heard Rinse and Repeat, their first full length album.

What I do know about the band is this:  They are from Michigan, they have released 2 EP’s and a bunch of singles since 2010.  They play live A LOT, over 500 shows since 2013.  Wayland consists of Mitch Arnold (vocals), Phillip Vilenski (guitars), Dean Pizzazz (bass) and Nigel Dupree (drums).

That’s all I know!  Let’s check it out!

My first thought when listening to the album was that they definitely have their own sound.  I can hear so many influences in other bands’ music, but with Wayland, I had trouble.  I thought a couple songs were a little reminiscent of other songs (All Rise sounds a little like The Strokes’ Last Night for a few seconds at the beginning,  the ballad All We Had reminded me of Supertramp’s Breakfast In Americaagain, just at the beginning), but so what?

This album is a well produced, rockin’, in your face, (dare I say?), throwback to 80s rock.  I don’t mean that in a negative way at all.  I’m not talking about big hair and spandex.  I’m talking about loud guitars, catchy singalong choruses and attitude.  This band was built for big big shows.  If this was the 80s, they’d be selling out arenas.

Vocalist Mitch Arnold is a powerhouse with great range.

He owns this album.  I try not to focus too much on the lyrics when I first listen to an album, be it Wayland, Metallica or Van Halen (They’re my favorite and I still don’t know what Dave is saying most of the time.), and I held true to that when listening to Rinse & Repeat.  What I did focus on was the melody.  Every one of the 14 songs on this album were top notch.  Even the instrumental Ode to 37 had some great vocalization.

Guitarist Phillip Velenski is great, too.  Definitely a rhythm guy.  Everything he plays fits perfectly with the song.  There’s not too much flash in his playing.  If you want Vai and Satriani, this ain’t your album.  I consider him more of a Cantrell type.  Focus on the song, solo when you have to but just fit the song.  These songs weren’t meant for shredding.

The rhythm section of Dean Pizzazz and Nigel Dupree can be summed up in one word, and hopefully this is what they would like:  SOLID.  A few times during the album, I actually said out loud, “Man, I wish I could play drums!”  Dupree made me want to learn.  Again, it’s not Peart or Portnoy, but it doesn’t have to be.

This is just good, solid rock n roll.  It’s got everything you need.  Solid riffs, great rhythm, catchy melodies.  It’s heavy at times.  It’s soft at times.  Will it change the world?  Probably not.  But it will put a smile on your face and make you want to nod and say, “Hell yeah, rock ain’t dead!”

 

Rinse & Repeat Track Listing:

1.     Ghost
2.     Through The Fire
3.     Come Back To Me
4.     All Rise
5.     All We Had
6.     Revival
7.     Shopping For A Savior
8.     Ode To 37
9.     Back To Life
10.  Follow
11.  The Brave Don’t Run
12.  Rabbit River Blues / From The Otherside
13.  Welcome To My Head *** Bonus Track ***
14.  On My Knees *** Bonus Track ***

 

LINKS

Official site: https://www.waylandtheband.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/waylandtheband

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/waylandtheband/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/waylandtheband

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/waylandtheband