Year : 1995
Style : Christian Hard Rock , AOR
Country : Canada
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 131 mb
Bio:
A Christian Hard Rock/AOR from Canada. Exceptional, melodic, good chorus, with loads of hooks and killer vox. They sound reminder a little of Firehouse, Bon Jovi and Warrant. The production is also quite good for an unknown independent band.Ottawa, Canada based Siloam is the brainchild of a talented drummer by the name of Brian Lutes. Coming out of a real street wise background, Lutes became a Christian after nearly dying of a drug overdose but went back to the streets in order to work with kids and relate the Gospel to them in a creditable way. Lutes, In the meantime, had given up music altogether until he was approached by his pastor who said he had a dream of him being involved in a band called Siloam (drawing its name from John 9:7). Proceeding to jam and play at church on Sunday, Lutes got together with a partner of his from another band, Tom Saidek, and started holding auditions in Los Angeles and Europe. After auditioning a total of 70 guitarist and 40 vocalist, the two settled on a vocalist and bassist who both hail from Boston, Lee Guthrie and Chad Everett respectively, and a keyboardist from Vermont in Ken Maris. Lead guitarist Tim Laroche was recruited out of Iceland. Immediately after its line up was put together, Siloam entered the studio and began work on its 1991 Image 7 debut Sweet Destiny.The best way to describe Siloam would be a blend of melodic hard rock and melodic rock with commercial metal tendencies. Sweet Destiny actually flows quite well from front to back in that it includes no filler tracks, best showcasing the bands songwriting skills on energetic hard rockers such as "Chemical King (Big Fight)" and "Eastern Skies" in addition to "Here I Am Again" and "Sweet Destiny" with their radio friendly sensibilities. The band even turns it up a notch on the guitar driven metal of "Lethal Lady" while delivering two customary - though very well done - commercial ballads in "Child Of Mine" and "After The Fire". In the end, if you happen to be a fan of Stryper, Holy Soldier, Guardian, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and others in the same genre then Siloam is certain to appeal to you.
Album:
There’s a sense of familiarity when listening to Dying To Live, the 1995 Ocean Entertainment sophomore album from Siloam.It shares a comparable commercial metal and melodic hard rock affinity as the group’s 1991 Image 7 debut full length Sweet Destiny while branching out into similar radio friendly AOR, blues based hard rock and traditional ballad territory.Every bit analogous is the occasional groove to funk like rock moment and even the periodic leaning to lightly done progressiveness.Despite switching front men from Lee Guthrie to Brent Millsop, lead vocals continue to head in a high-end with intermittent tinges of middle-register grit direction that bring to mind Sonny Larsson (XT, Motherlode).Additional turnover consists of guitarist Marshall Zacharias replacing departed guitarist Tim Laroche and keyboardist Ken Maris. Returning is founding member and drummer Brian Lutes, whom recruited holdover bassist Chad Everett subsequent to a dream he had of being involved in a band called Siloam (moniker derived from John 9:7).It deserves note Lutes comes from a streetwise background but came to the faith after nearly dying of a drug overdose. He later returned to the streets to work with kids and relate the Gospel to them in a creditable manner; hence, the mission of Siloam.Specifically, the Siloam lyrics and songwriting are testimonial and stem from Lutes’ experience working with kids.Not unlike Sweet Destiny, Dying To Live went out of print and turned into a hard to find collectors item.Enter Retroactive Records, who in June of 2022 re-mastered (courtesy of Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound) and re-issued Dying To Live on jewel case CD.Upgraded packaging to consist of a 12-page expanded booklet with lyrics and linter notes in an easy to read font attributes to Scott Waters of no Life Til Metal Graphics.The Ocean Entertainment version sounds fine for its era, but the Retroactive re-mastering results in a more polished sound to bring the album up to modern standards: low end stands out thicker and fuller (noting the cleaner mix of bass), while guitars reflect added edge and bite (leads come across better defined).Album opens to hard charger “Apathy” to see a high-energy tempo and every bit expeditious bass converge with Millsop’s immaculate classic tenor voice to mirror an emotional edge. Dogged hooks reveal in the process, as does an instrumental run slowing to ethereal feedback that gives way to Zacharias’s shred lead guitar.I cannot help but be reminded of Holy Soldier. “Daddy’s Little Girl” starts to open air bass prior to morphing into a boogie-flavored metal piece along similar lines as Stryper and Van Halen. A more aggressive touch impresses compared to “Apathy”, manifest in rhythm guitar to snarl in bristling fashion and refrain to touch upon the vehement (not to mention an overriding catchiness). The precise bass work of Everett in particular stands out.Albums title track is a classy melodic hard rocker emanating a Guardian like AOR vibe to see burnished keyboards elevate and pristine vocal melodies command the glistening scene. The uplifting momentum is undeniable as the buoyant tinctures not to mention grainy feel to vocals refuse to depart with repeat play.“Dying To Live” proves you can be commercial but relevant at the same time.First of three ballads “Pain Inside” is a good one. Acoustic guitar and keyboards at the start soon join with rhythm guitar to make a hard rock ballad statement, the moody scene elevated by the moving momentum as a melody rises to the surface reminding of that to the Damn Yankees hit “High Enough”. Closing the album is a keyboard based ‘Enya’ version to “Pain Inside”. Melodic hard rock territory returns with “Home Comin’”, a varied cut to feature prodigious doses of refinement found in the layered vocal melodies decorating throughout but also home to a bluesy veneer revealed in the earthy tinctures to the rhythm guitar tones. Yes, the song presents with its share of contrasts but it works, sort of like a more commercial version to early nineties Bride.“Brand New Man” shines with its accessible hard rock bearing. It jump starts from the get go, brimming of energy in giving prominence to non-stop hooks as fitting doses of AOR laced keyboards build upon the regal scene.The high-strung lead guitar is every bit focused. Second ballad “Tender Heart” approaches from the lighter and heavier sides. In terms of former, it includes ample doses of lounge style keyboards and lush vocal melodies; from standpoint of latter, it also makes room for copious portions of hard rock guitars, particularly for the deeply woven refrain. Whereas the song is somewhat overdone for my taste in terms of the overt refinement, it is good nonetheless.“My Pal Judas” delivers the groove underpinned and funk flavored goods.With prodigious bass leading the defiant way, the song prioritizes deeply set “big lies” backing vocals - to remind of Sweet Destiny track “Chemical King (Big Fight)” - alongside a mirthful form while not backing from the Siloam trademark hard rock underpinnings.No doubt, this one is outside the box but also reflects the group’s versatility.Sound of a thunderstorm appropriately opens “Lost In The Rain”. Moving forward song turns into an acoustic rocker until rhythm guitar bursts forth to make a classy melodic hard rock statement, issuing forth abundant vocal melodies and the commercial hooks to go in hand. A slower passage at the halfway point settles down to piano ahead of “Lost In The Rain” makes an abrupt transition to a vigorous instrumental interlude. At just under ten-minute, “Welcome To Despair” is albums longest but no need to worry in that Siloam is not turning into Dream Theater but rather strategically joins several songs together to form a unique whole. First four comes in the form of a ballad that mixes piano with riveting guitar to embolden the heightened melody, while second covers the subsequent four as a heavy hitting melodic metal piece in which tempo elevates as Millsop reaches down for some heartfelt soul to his delivery alongside Gospel influences backing vocals.As song reaches its close, impetus slows as ballad territory revisits. If Stryper had reunited in the mid-nineties to record a comeback album, impression left is Dying To Live would be an accurate indicator of the results.Yes, in my opinion it is that good, or at the very least the equal of Sweet Destiny in terms of songwriting and production. Whereas Siloam experienced turnover between albums, newcomers Brent Millsop and Marshall Zacharias more than hold their own as replacements to complement Brian Lutes and Chad Everett.If interested in ten quality eighties influenced melodic metal and hard rock cuts (eleven if you count the ‘Enya’ version to “Pain Inside”) I strongly encourage making the Retroactive re-issue to Dying To Live a priority.
Line Up:
Brent Millsop - Vocals
Brian Lutes - Drums & Percussion
Marshall Zacharias - Guitars, Banjo, Sitar & Kazoo
Chad Everett - Bass
Additional Musicians:
Keyboards - Frank Levin
Backing Vocals - Doug Bradshaw, Andy Del Castillo, Danny Deane
Guitar – Todd Huckbone
production:
Produced by Frank Levin
Executive Producer - Brian Lutes
Recorded and Mixed at Fish Tank Studios and Distortion Studios
Mastered at Crossroads Studios
Tracklist:
01. Apathy
02. Daddy's Little Girl
03. Dying To Live
04. Pain Inside
05. Home Comin
06. Brand New Man
07. Tender Heart
08. My Pal Judas
09. Lost In The Rain
10. Welcome To Despair
11. Pain Inside (Enya Version)
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