By now I'm sure everyone out there has heard the old saw about the 600 pound gorilla. For those who haven't, the short version is "Where does the 600 pound gorilla sit after it walks into the room?" The standard answer is, "Wherever he wants." Although I'm not sure how much the four of them collectively weigh, that pretty much sums up how things have been going for Dave's Planet (guitarists Dave Juka and Tom Fiore, bassist Sammy Free and drummer Dave Vogrin) of late when it comes to playing around their home base of Lake County. They can command when and where they want to play to the east of Cleveland, but are now starting to dip their collective toes into the market via Peabody's Down Under, with, I'm sure, more venues to follow. Next step in the band's evolution has been their 10 cut, self-titled disc, that was released a little earlier this year. Now comes the part of the review where things are going to get a little contradictory, to say the least. Those who have seen the band live have one opinion of Dave's Planet and those who hear the disc first before going to see the band are going to have another impression of the new disc. I'm going to make an attempt to reconcile the two view points regarding this quandary. The disc really doesn't capture the live voltage of Dave's Planet, which is fairly high tensile when they play out. Nuances in the music are pretty well thrown to the wind in the process of getting their music across to a live audience. What DAVE'S PLANET has going for is enough subtleties to make its point without losing the enclosed juice in the tunes. "Forever And A Day" has a good hook to it and, yes, you can hear Dave Vogrin's Black Sabbath influence yet one could be a tad surprised to hear a sliver of Queensryche mixed in the pot, too. Those who have seen Dave's Planet live might be caught short on how melodic DAVE'S PLANET is in parts, from "I Will Follow" to the slowly building "Runaway," with the latter reaching a peak, thanks to the lead guitar of Tom Fiore. "Down" has a hard edge, without being overbearing, and "I'm The One" is trying to get there in a hurry, though there is a slight layer of unexpected twang in the guitars. I hear a wide range of band influences on DAVE'S PLANET, which means this release has a little more depth than what I'm use to hearing from this kind of music. Downside for me is the disc's packaging, as the back cover really doesn't follow any logical progress as to what songs are on the disc. Once again, another confusing moment for someone who hasn't seen the band live, since some out there won't know the group's song titles by heart. So, the tough call at the end of the critique: do I tell you to go see the band live and then buy the disc or vice versa? Will the disc seem tame once you've heard the band? Will the band's volume surprise you once you've heard the disc and then go to see them live? Interesting paradox and one I have yet to figure out myself. Visit their website - http://www.DavesPlanetLive.com
From Cool Cleveland contributor Peanuts hostofthenorthcoast@yahoo.com (:divend:)