MARK ACEVES was a former member of a band called ZED for who he played bass guitar alongside drummer SEAN BOYLES who sadly passed away as well as MARK'S father, it is so admirable to hear of a musician who has gone through a period of grief and loss but come back from it all to become a solo artist himself. So the former ZED bassist has indeed produced some music of his own in the form of an album, which is titled MAGNUM DOPUS so what can we expect of this album. Well let's delay no further and get straight into it, to see what this debut album by ACEVES is like, we can start with "The True And Indisputable Meaning Of Rock And Roll" as we hear some spoken word, then some funky rock 'n' roll fills on the drums before the rest of the band follows. The guitars are there but not too prominent in the mix, bass guitar is certainly setting the tone for the intro track.

All of the track was pretty simple enough and straight-forward, then when the bridge section comes, there is some more spoken word, as well as guitars playing accompanied by drums. Even a short pause can be heard as we come to the end, we go into the next track which is "Still Ain't Dead" as simple drums come in with guitars as they open the track, before vocals come in as they are speaking clearly. There is nothing complicated about this track as we come to the next track which is "Taxi Driver" as we hear really cool guitar riffs, as vocals are not as high up in range but low pitched or perhaps a different vocalist. The drums don't overthink what they are doing but follow what the guitar does at a pretty steady tempo, it also sounds like there are two vocal lines, a very good touch to this track.

The track in terms of theme and tone, it doesn't vary too much or go off the trails, nothing crazy really at all. "Love In The Time Apocalypse" is up next as we hear a very interesting guitar effect or synth effect maybe, that is panning from one side to another, also it is processed for certain to give that atmospheric feel. The guitar riff after this is straight forward again, as drums play simple patterns, with vocals coming in a bit later than usual. The guitar also seems to play the main riff on the upbeat by the sounds of it, unusual but it certainly works for this track. "Hail Mary" is up next as we hear more processed guitar sounds before a short pause, then vocals come in all guns blazing with drums also doing what they can to keep up.

Lead guitar also gets a short solo section then drums come back in with some simple patterns, this then repeats, as drums keep a beat going without any misdirection or change in sight. So what else can the band produce, up until now, they haven't really gone off their approach which is simple enough. Into the next track which is "Just For Your Disguise" as we hear guitar ringing and slow riff playing then a more rhythmic riff as we can hear drums also playing some additional fills in between the sections of the song. The tempo again is tight enough, vocals are comfortable enough as the track itself goes all according to plan, the guitars do vary a little but all very consistent with how a stoner rock band should sound like. 

There is an extra guitar riff in the background later on in the track as well as an additional vocal part, so even though there are more overdubs, it still doesn't make the track too different. "Daisies" where we enter a cool and rock 'n' roll drum fill to start then guitars and vocals are straight in, there is definitely more of a pop rock feel to this track, but still has a stoner rock spin to it, backing vocals can be heard too in the chorus so that adds a nice touch. This is a short enough track so it's a track that is short and sweet, so onto the next track which is "Faithful Man", where bass guitar can be heard and is prominent in the mix, as vocals has more of a direct approach this time.

The tempo seems to be a slower paced track, the drums have more of a swing feel but could be more psychedelic rock as well as other influences. The drums keep a simple beat going with vocals that have more of a pop rock feel, some cymbal hits along the way, a build up later on before some vocal screeching is heard too. The track does actually go by quickly, so into the final track which is "For My Children", a more settled track as we hear acoustic guitar and vocals flowing nicely, a soothing feel as this track has more of a joyful theme, maybe the lyrics were written for someone special. So the track could be a personal note to someone or written about someone or a person in particular, a gentle closing to this album.

So overall it has been a very interesting journey exploring the band set up by MARK ACEVES, it's clear this is a great opportunity for him to go on a solo expedition to creating new music and perhaps continuing where he left off from his previous band. Nonetheless this new venture is purely a great example of how a musician can go from strength to strength, so worth a look now this album, it's really cool and has that super rock 'n' roll vibe of what has come before in recent times.