Panic Room – “Satellite” LIMITED EDITION (2010)

Label : Firefly Music

Review By Tony Cannella

Panic Room are a rock outfit from the U.K. Their line-up features current and ex-members of Mostly Autumn, Karnataka and Fish (ex-Marillion singer), that is a pretty stellar resume, for sure. Their second album is titled, “Satellite” and the limited edition version comes with a 4-song bonus disc, “Little Satellites”. The opener, “Freedom to Breathe”, reels you in from the very beginning. The listener is immediately drawn in by the melodic nature of the track, great chorus and the emotive, breathy vocals of Anne-Marie Helder. A really strong opening number that is one of the stand-out tracks on “Satellite”. “Picking Up Knives” has a more laid-back vibe than the previous number but it is just as effective, and Anne-Marie‘s vocals really help to push this song over-the-top. “The Fall” is a beautifully haunting ballad, just really pretty and well performed, you can add this to the list of highlights. “The Fall” brings the tempo up, once again thanks to a pounding rhythm and a rock solid opening riff, another catchy and memorable chorus dominates the track – that is a pattern throughout the 11-song, 59-minute disc. Other highlights that are featured on “Satellite” are “Black Noise”, “Into The Fire” and the 8-minute closer, “Satellite” are definitely some tracks that had me hitting the “replay” button. Panic Room certainly adds a mix of variation to their sound, and “Satellite” contains a little something for everyone.The limited edition comes with a 4-song, 25-minute bonus disc called “Little Satellites”. The 4-songs contained on this mini-album certainly make the limited edition worth owning. Beginning with, “5th Amendment” and ending with the 10-minute epic, “Sandstorms”, this is a further extension of the musical mastery that can be heard throughout the accompanying full-length. “Satellite” is very good CD that offers an eclectic mix of styles and nuances. The musical talent that Panic Room possesses is undeniable and they put that talent to good use on “Satellite”. The band has received some positive press and after listening to, “Satellite” it is easy to see why.

Rating – 85/100

Tracklist

CD 1

1. Freedom to Breathe
2. Picking Up Knives
3. I Am a Cat
4. The Fall
5. Black Noise
6. Yasuni
7. Sunshine
8. Into the Fire
9. Dark Star
10. Muse
11. Satellite

CD 2 – “Little Satellites”

1. 5th Amendment
2. The Great Divide
3. Go
4. Sandstorms

Line Up

• Anne-Marie Helder – Vocals, 6 & 12 String Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Piano & Keys
• Paul Davies – Electric & Acoustic Guitars
• Jonathan Edwards – Piano, Rhodes & Keys
• Gavin John Griffiths – Drums
• Alun Vaughan – Bass

Links

MySpace * ReverbNation * Facebook * Twitter * Site