Gregory’s Xit is “an unapologetic rock band” from Indianapolis, Indiana who’ve just released two new singles titled “Live It Up” backed by “Cry on You.” The band members are Gregory Washel (guitar), Craig “Shred” Young (guitar), Jay Strawder (drums), Gordon Creech (vocals) and Bill Williams (bass). All the members also sing.
It’s not often that an indie band sends me a press release stating they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance, and at first I thought they were joking, but it’s actually true! Plus they also nearly made the cut for 2023! The first track “Live It Up” doesn’t just start: with its distant, tumbling drums and space-arena ambience, it basically grows before your ears. When the thunderous power chords chime in, you know you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. With the powerful multi-tracked vocals of lead singer Creech and the rest of the band, the arena rock references multiply with lightning speed. Metallica, BOC, Queen, Zappa and even specifically Led Zeppelin (“Yesterday had a new day coming / New lady, gotta whole lotta lovin’!”). The chorus guitars are so epic that my ear was tricked into thinking there was a horn section! The guitar solo sections manage to harmonize, shred and speed-riff all at once. The meticulous construction of these guitar solos boggles the mind, and it’s appropriately how this track ends. “Cry on You” takes a total 180 with a classical opening of acoustic piano and strings. The boys decided to go Full Ballad here, and the blistering guitars totally disappear, revealing the full richness of the band vocals. They recreate some of the drama of the best ’70’s prog rockers, and have the discipline to hold back on the electric guitars until the halfway point. Suddenly I’m hearing Brian May, Tom Scholz and other masters of 6-string harmonic wonder. Even when I thought they were mostly done, a plaintive “Baker Street” style sax solo closes the deal. Two very different sides of the same coin! There’s a lot more where these tracks came from, and they all deserve to be investigated and enjoyed.
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