DROPBOX

“Dropbox”

Universal/Motown Records

Maddening. That’s how I’ll describe my efforts to review Dropbox’s debut CD. Why was it a maddening experience? Well, I’ll get to that in a moment, ok? First, I should explain that I do the bulk of my music listening within the confines of my ratty old Jeep pickup. I have a stereo in there that is capable of causing a brain hemorrhage, and besides that, everyone knows that heavy metal always sounds better when you are rolling. So that’s my favorite place to reflect upon the qualities of a piece of music, and more often than not it’s there in my old truck that I ultimately decide whether a new album sucks, or does not suck (the key to any good music review).

Now, my copy of “Dropbox” was one of those “Advance Promo - Not For Resale” packages; no artwork included unfortunately, but there was a nice picture of the band and some cool info sheets. Ok, so, they looked like they might be some deranged, pissed off musicians, but were they really any different than the forty-seven million other bands trying to make a name for themselves out there? I mean… could they move me? My old red truck swallowed their CD hungrily, and my ridiculously oversized speakers began pummeling me with “Wishbone”, the leadoff track. “Hey, not bad, I can crank this stuff,” I thought. I turned it up louder, and my right front speaker grill blew off and landed on the floor of my old Jeep. Perfect… I was now achieving full saturation!

But here’s where it got a little crazy. While the volume knob was certainly working fine, the track select button seemed to have some kind of voodoo curse on it - I couldn’t change songs in either direction! The only way to get through the damn CD was to start at the beginning and let it play through in its entirety! I could not believe it; I tried everything - even pounding on the dashboard – but, to borrow a phrase from Led Zeppelin, the song remained the same. Now, I have a 25-minute ride to work, and a 25-minute ride home. If you do a bit of quick math, you will realize that after a few days with Dropbox, I was supremely qualified to review the first five songs of the CD!

Haha, luckily for me there was some damn fine music on there even if I couldn’t change tracks. The second tune, “I Feel Fine” kinda has an Alice In Chains vibe to it, with maybe a little Godsmack and Staind influence swishing around in there too. Not really my cup of tea, but I had to wait for it to finish because, well, you know, the button thing again. It was a bit of a letdown after the opening ferocity of “Wishbone” and its heavy riffing. I don’t hate it, but I do hate Alice In Chains, always did, always will! Uh-oh, I can hear the AIC fans marching upon Sound Waves headquarters….

I was interested to read in the promo sheets that accompanied the disc that Lee Richards, Dropbox’s guitarist and evil mastermind, was actually the original guitar player for Godsmack. Now, everyone knows how hugely successful Godsmack has become. So why did Lee part ways with them just before they hit the lottery? Something about babies and settling down, but apparently retirement didn’t sit too well with Richards, or with his former bandmates, who appear to have had a huge hand in his return to arena rock. And, he has made the most of the opportunity, hooking up through the Godsmack connection with John Kosko (vocals), Joe Wilkinson (co-guitarist), James Preziosa (bass), and Bob Jenkins (drums) to put together an album so powerful that even Godsmack themselves must be kinda scratching their heads.

Anyway, back to the disc review! Things totally get cooking with “Nowhere Man”, the album’s third selection. Gone is the dreary atmosphere of “I Feel Fine”, and the bass player puts out an intro lick that warns you you’re about to be blasted. At first, I thought it was going to be a cover of the old Beatles’ classic, but it isn’t; it’s a down tuned rocker with a great chorus and a smoking guitar solo that lets the cat out of the bag: Dropbox really is going to be a big time band. As great as “Nowhere Man” is, though, “End Of Days” is even better. A riff you can sink your teeth into and a hook that gets you singing at the top of your lungs make this the best song on the album. Oh yeah, absolutely the best song on the album.

Eventually, I did figure out that I could change tracks in other cd players (just not my super-duper Pioneer deck for some peculiar reason), and I did finally manage to check out the rest of the album. You know, underneath all the crap you see on MTV, and all of the poop you hear on commercial radio, there are still a few bands carrying the oldschool metal torch, and I have a good feeling that Dropbox is one of them. Their music is built around the guitar riffs, and that formula rarely steers you wrong if you throw in a little sincerity. On this album, all the corners are touched. You get quiet, you get heavy, and you get all that falls in between. And if you’re lucky, you’ll be able to change tracks!

- R. A. Dion

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