For fans only
J. Fernandez | Mercer Island, WA | 03/09/2009
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a huge fan of ABR. I have all of their CDs, a t-shirt, and I've seen them live twice. Messengers was my favorite CD of 2007 and I still listen to it several times a week. I was hopeful that this CD would deliver, but I was somewhat let down. It feels like the record company is trying to cash in on their increasing popularity.
My disappointment started with the album cover. It is an attempt to play off the Messengers cover, but it does not differentiate itself clearly enough. People only vaguely familiar with the Messengers cover may purchase this EP by mistake.
Chasing the Dragon and Mosley are great songs that are similar in feel to the songs on Messengers.
Carol of the Bells is a clever Christmas carol remix with no vocals. It was on the Solid State Christmas CD, so I already had a copy of it, but it will be a nice addition for some.
To Those About To Rock and Piano Man are short snippets that don't really go anywhere.
The last two songs are demo versions of songs from Messengers: The Truth Of A Liar and Vital Signs. The production values are lower (obviously) and they don't differ hugely from the released recordings, so their inclusion on this EP is of dubious value.
If you're already a big fan of the band then the first two songs will validate this purchase for you. Otherwise, I recommend you skip it."