Itis
Exit 420
Hat Light Records
Reviewer Rating: 9 out of 10
Every now and then I receive a disk in the mail that tends to stand out leaps and bounds above the rest of the pack. It’s always refreshing to me when I get the pleasure of discovering some fresh music that’s not your generic pop punk, which always tends to sound like Blink 182 in some fashion or just another metal band with cookie monster vocals. My new discovery is a band from Colorado called itis. According to their band bio, it says that itis has released 10 other CDs prior to this one which makes me wonder if the other 10 CDs are as good.
Exit 420 is a unique blend of metal, hard rock, reggae, funk and pop. The individuality that flows from Mark Rodio’s voice reminds me at times of Mike Patton from Faith No More and doesn’t sound like anything else that is on mainstream rock radio today which for me is a good thing. The guitar work by Craig Soderberg is stellar and showcases his guitar hero chops on many occasions. He doesn’t jam his talent down your throat like a Steve Vai or Yngwie would, but is just as strong of a player. He seems to pay attention to what guitar tone works best in context with each song, which complements the songwriting and arrangements. This enhances the music and tends to give itis their own s t y l e.
The CD starts off with a funny pro-herb reggae/rock tune Hey Mom, I Smoke Pot that talks about the singers Mom buying him some weed in Amsterdam. One Hit Wonder again is about buds that are too strong, but has more of a Pantera driven chunkiness to it. Powder is a funky upbeat treat that sounds like Extreme at times with a catchy melodic chorus. Under the Table is a solid rock song that has a memorable hook that makes you wonder if King’s X wrote the vocal harmonies in the chorus. Thoughts is one of those songs where you could almost hear one of the contestants from American Idol singing it on finals night. Just a good solid pop song. With 17 tracks on this disk, it covers just about everything you could imagine and is a solid representation of the band and what they are capable of.
The pot references tend to get a little old and the overall production is just a bit on the mono side, but those are really the only negative things I can complain about with Exit 420. With such a strong collection of music, it makes me wonder why a major label hasn’t snatched these guys up yet. Make it a point to pick up a copy of this disk the next time you are walking around your local FYE with some extra money in your pocket. You wont be disappointed.
Ron Smallwood
URL: http://www.itisrocks.com
