TOD HOWARTH
“Opposite Gods” 2010
CD or download
www.todhowarth.com
So….Tod got the memo that all of the many KISS-related releases of the past year will be heavy, dark, tuned down and surprisingly well-done. (That list of albums includes Ace Frehley’s “Anomaly,” KISS’s “Sonic Boom” and Bruce Kulick’s “BK3″.) The advantage of Tod Howarth’s creative autonomy is that if he wants to put a relatively happy sounding-song in the middle of the playlist, or if he wants to put some keyboards way out in front of the mix, then he’s gonna do it! (That’s one thing about the current wave of of KISS-related stuff, it’s a bit one-dimensional, whereas Tod can layer all the vocal harmonies he wants since he doesn’t have to keep it simple enough for onstage reproduction, if ya know what I mean.) This is a full-on, Todd Rundgren-style do-it-yourself-er of an album, all the instruments, all the songs. And you’d never know this fact just by listening. The album is cohesive, the production is great & modern, the songs are complex & deep. I hope “Opposite Gods” finds a wider audience than KISS obsessives. I LIKE IT and it gets better with every listen. Plus occasional swearing. NICE.
Ian C Stewart
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