The Champagne Charade
“Glitter City”

North Jersey is hiding Rock and Roll’s best kept secret. Fronted by the lovely Saetia LaReoux, the Champagne Charade are unapologetic with their poppy metal assault. Guitars blaze, drums and bass thunder and LaReoux can fucking sing her heart out. This band is the real deal and everyone should take notice.

TCC is obviously built from an impressive mix of metal, 80’s rock and hardcore roots, but the band are more than that. They’ve developed a unique sound that is entirely their own and are an absolute breath of fresh air in a scene that is muddled with clones and rip-offs. Instantly you’ll be reminded of other female fronted metal bands like Evanescence and Lacuna Coil…hell even Paramore, but there’s something so damn charming about this release and this band.

Choruses are sung with a sincerity and energy that will have you tapping your toe along in no time. Guitarists Bobby Venom (also of newly signed Epitaph recording artists, Leathermouth) and Kaedon Gray can shred. Mind boggling solos are accompanied by a solid rhythm section with Nicky Charade and Chris Crypts laying the groundwork for a band that is incredibly tight. Most of the lyrics deal with love and loss. Everything is extremely personal without being overbearing.

When the ballad “Meant to Be” hits you will be floored. It leaves you with just enough time to catch your breath before the pop rock, post-metalcore glam onslaught continues. Saetia Lareoux also provides some haunting background vocals that are beautifully layered under all those guitars. A lot of time and effort was spent on this recording and it greatly paid off.

tracks include “Sickness & Sorrow”, “Death Walks at Midnight” and “Lipstick Scars” but there’s no throwaway tracks here. Everything is solid. Highly recommended for fans of Iron Maiden and Coheed and Cambria. “Glitter City” is an excellent debut and one of the best records of 2008.

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks