Metal maniacs, rejoice! I am proud to present to you: THE LUCID; signed via SpoilerHead Records, hailing from the United States of America - performing Hard Rock, on their debut self-titled album (released October 15th, 2021). Since formation in 2020; the quartet in question have only this debut album in their discography so far entitled: "The Lucid", 9 tracks ranging at around 39:65 - THE LUCID arranges an intricately designed formula on some heavy-hitting Hard Rock developments.

Ah Dave Ellefson, we all remember the scandal he was involved in while in his time with the legionnaires MEGADETH... but now he returns and hopefully with a vengeance to continue his musical journey of which -that- drama should have been kept private but alas, once you're famous while jumbled in a well known band - stuff like this is bound to happen, so I'm not sure whether to support the man or not... having been a fan of the guy in forever, I did think better of him once... much like with Karl Logan of MANOWAR and look how that turned out. However, without going into too much on the political spectrum, let's give "The Lucid" a go regardless and see what he can deliver...

Opening up with this harmonic acoustic, a synthetic revolution revels with vibrantly potent rifts & rampantly rompy bounciness as "Maggot Wind" starts off the record with a sulfurous remedy. This upbeat hook gravitates with trailblazing grooves and flamboyant experimentation, a feel-good hymn attributed to a crunchy aesthetic in punchy jumpiness & mellifluous weight. This choppy chisel thumps out piledriving slap from hammering drummer Mike Heller & flickering thumper David Ellefson, both inject an infectiously venomous slab of solid mobility. Synergising this razor-sharp yet monolithic tempo as "Death Of Despair" frolics with rambunctious yet volatile zeal, motoring this profusely robust calamity in catchy fluidity and strident tightness. Solos from dexterously dynamic guitarist Drew Fortier elements at an enriching but buoyant transparency on progressively swift technicality, rapidly nimble tonality & striking pursuits that rip with shredding perseverance to boot.

"Spoiler Head" slays with grinding expertise as euphonic firepower creates a distinctly distinguished boundary in blistering momentum while riveting with yet rough persistence that manifests with meaty vehemence, unique versatility & meticulous foundations in a borderline fashion of psychedelic melancholy while merging those systematic yet exuberant entrancements but lined amongst lacerating instrumental equalities that showcase this majestic maelstrom performance in a distilled shroud of solemn amongst a silver-lining linearity that's most moving. Vinnie Dombroski on vocals chimes a clean contrast of lofty pipes that sing with sophisticated substance & organic mellow, as "Hair" surges with this stoner-like rock tenor while tremoring swerve mounts this towering soar on seamless patterns of hefty grandeur.

"Maskronaut" utilizes concretely gritty bombast much like with the most memorable song on the record "Damned", both captivate with strong virtuosity, quintessentially skyrocketing with soothing rock anthems and a barrage frenzy of throttling accordance as well. While "Breech Boy" and the penultimate rocker "Pigs And Sons" rollick with some hints at MEGADETH-like riffing but I'd like to point out that this is not that band at all, there's no point comparing THE LUCID with them. They're two totally different identities and it's Ellefson's excuse in being exploratory while contributing to both his own band ELLEFSON and THE LUCID, while he may be out of the better band - he's at least busy if you can get over the drama and are somewhat a fan of him.

Overall concluding "The Lucid" with the finale "Pride Of Spirit"; I am compelled to say that this was an enjoyably intriguing listen but certainly something not to go back to, I'd rather listen to MEGADETH, no offense to the band but this is just not my cup of tea. While entertaining and coherent to rock, I feel I've heard this kind of stuff a bunch of times too. This is a spin worthy of playing to see what Ellefson can offer, just it's what you'd expect, a typical rock record. This is a spin worthy of checking a couple times, that's it...