A supergroup of sorts, Hard Rock band EARTH LUX is comprised of members of many famous 80’s & 90’s bands. Supergroups scare me as a reviewer, because I have come across way too many of them where the sum is not nearly as good as the individual members. Many record labels eat them up, because, well, let’s face it, their names will help them sell records. Sometimes, however, the sum is as good, or even better than the individual parts, but these cases I have found are exceptions to the rule. Let’s keep these things in mind when we take on the self-titled album of EARTH LUX.

“Shine On” is first. The riff is dirty, sleazy, and crunchy, and Mark Boal’s vocals remind me of 90’s singer Mark Slaughter. The guitar solo is equally as sleazy. “In Your Heart” is a slower, mid-tempo number with old school keyboards and some heavy emotions in the vocals. It also has a darker quality to it, as if the subject has lost in the game of love. “Back Stage Business” might be that big kick in the pants I was waiting for. It has an infectious melody, plenty of energy, as well as some emotions in the vocals especially. “What a Day, What a Life” is the seemingly obligatory “power ballad” on the album if you will. Back in the day, we rockers used to look forward to these songs, because they showed the tender side of the band.

“Kyrie Eleison” comes straight at you with energy and a fast moving riff. It has some old school elements along with some modern ones and is a nice combination of the two. “That Room” has a slower pace and the melodies don’t connect quite as well. That is, until the chorus, which has a lot of vocal harmonies layered within. “Paths of Infinity” has a more positive sound that uses more major than minor chords. However at this point, there were too many filler songs on the album, making the memorable ones less memorable unfortunately. “Lorraine” closes the album, and it’s a seven minute sentimental song where the band shows some genuine emotion. The band isn’t short on talent, that much I know for sure. What needs the most work however is the songwriting. There just aren’t enough memorable songs to make a mark on me.