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Wales Road: Ricochet
The Daily Messenger For more than a dozen years now, the Christian-rock band Wales Road has been the musical project — and ministry — of Rochester’s Tom Wales. The sound has morphed over the years, from the early blues and "neofolk" (his term, back then) to a harder-rocking, sometimes downright metal sound with elements of thrash, new wave and blues. The personnel likewise have been fluid; it’s been a two-piece, a three-piece (like now), a four-piece, with plenty of players in and out. But at the center, from the start: one man and his God. "I wear my heart on my sleeve and write about my own faith and failures in an attempt to connect with this fallen world to bring them to the Father," Wales noted via e-mail. Wales marries those sentiments — yearning for God, seeking forgiveness, expressing gratitude and praise and joy and, often, pain — to an authentic rock-and-roll attack. The new Wales Road retrospective, "Ricochet," offers several examples of the heavier side of the band’s sound. There’s the occasional blues and ballad breather (the bluesy "Have Mercy," the reflective "Glimpses"), but mostly Wales wanted a collection of his hard and heavy tracks — songs such as "Blessed Hope," "Purple Heart, Silver Cross" and "Snake Hisses and Judas Kisses." "One of my producers once remarked to me ... that I have ‘three voices,’ i.e., three styles of singing," Wales notes. There’s "a distinct angry growl on the heavy metal tunes." Then there’s "my new wave/punk voice" — Wales has heard others liken his delivery to both The Cars and The Ramones. And finally, "the kinder gentler tender ballad voice." "You can hear all three of my ‘voices’ on this record," says Wales. "Ricochet" also reintroduces Wales fans to players past and present, many of whom are represented among the tracks: guitarists Jaimie Cole and Ilya Fedotov; bassists Tom Sluberski and (current) Steve Rousseau; drummers Lanny Auchter, Lou Gonzalez, Tommy Harrington; and more, plus special guests like Matthew D. Guarnere (who recorded, engineered and mixed more than half the tracks, as well as playing on several) and the White Devils’ Frank DiBlase. Interspersed among the songs are various radio-interview clips from stations both Christian and secular. And finally, there’s a "club mix" of "The Father of Lies" —"every ‘best-of’ album should at least feature one ‘re-mix,’" Wales says, "don’t you think?" Why "Ricochet?" There’s the simple reason, that the tracks are mostly re-releases, but it also plays off Wales’ hopes for the disc. "Hopefully the tunes will bounce off your stereo speakers," he writes, "and the love of God into your heart." WORDS AND MUSIC Michelle Picardo, Music Editor "...Rochester's WALES ROAD, led by singer/songwriter/guitarist, TOM WALES, has just released their "Best Of" package, RICOCHET, compiling material from the past ten years. The collection is an excellent representation of the heavy,the bluesy and the ballads that make Wales Road the diverse band they are today, culling music from past releases 'Snake Hisses and Judas Kisses', 'Praying Mantis', 'BLuR' and 'Rock'n'Roll Dizzy Man'. A rocker of the Christian persuasion, Wales tells us he's "been obsessing for a year over this," and does a great job bringing his highlight tracks to fruition on one package, something fans will adore, while new converts are just a listen away.... "
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©Wales Road 1998-2010 web stuff: i Love Sitar WaLes rOaD: blues-based Metal with a Christian frosting