“Moments Of Intoxication” by Weston Simonis is a vastly underrated album. On first listen, you might not realize what it is you are listening to, but once you listen again you begin to see how remarkable Simonis is as he mixes pop, metal and sometimes dance orientated styles into his music. Filled with both dread and hope, intensely personal, but never egotistical Simonis opens up some very private trials and tribulations in his life and also expresses his concerns about the world we are living in. He does this all in a very down to earth intelligent, not preachy manner.
Musically the album is solid, not overly too produced, and brilliantly stylized by relentless rocking guitars and a voice that easily soars across octaves. His footing is that of an artist offering his work to be judged than that of a presumptuous wanna-be icon resulting in a work of substance rather than showy fodder.
Loaded from start to finish with great songs, “Moments Of Intoxication’s” rockers are unfailingly both heavy and engaging, yet they have a strong pop twist and edge. Checkout songs like “Fabricate”, “Lynique”, “Yoga Pants” and “Moments Of Intoxication” for this unique effect.
“Shadows Of The Night” and “That’s What She Said” uncovers an even heavier and more epic sounding Simonis, as he lays on some more thick churning guitars and screaming vocals. And even the acoustic-driven ballad, “Miles Between Us” conveys genuine emotion without sounding sappy or overly trite.
If you love hard driving songs as much as the next guy, but still need to have something with an underlying melody to make sense, then there are enough songs on this album to satisfy your appetite. Moreover, this album grows on you the more you listen to it.
The tunes and the musicianship by Weston Simonis are top-notch, and the production is energetically engaging and precise without sounding either too slick or simply overdone. Simonis has brought back what rock is supposed to sound like, feel like, and taste like, except he places it inside a pop and modern urban context. Something nobody else I can think of is doing right now.
In fact Weston Simonis is a one of kind artist, and if he keeps on making music of this tone and timber, soon he will have created his own genre. The collage of sounds blends together very nicely. Get your copy and play it loud on a well-balanced system and watch the guitar and Simonis’ vocals blow your speakers!
MORE ABOUT WESTON SIMONIS: A native of the Grande Ronde Valley, Weston Simonis has been on the local music scene for many years. Simonis has been the frontman for several bands over the years, including Drive By, Hopeless Endeavor and The October Sky. As frontman for the band Metal Under the Influence, Simonis and his band mates won the ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest then went on to participate in the Warp Tour, playing at both Boise State University and Eastern Oregon University. After high school, Simonis went on to study at Full Sail University in Florida, known for being one of the best multimedia institutes in the nation. Working with music producer Michael (Wolf) Reaves (Metallica, Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake), Simonis gained the skills needed to open his own recording studio in La Grande.
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