Black Magnolia
Fields Are Burning
Self-released
The photograph on the cover of Fields Are Burning foretells the sound of the music within: rusted doorways on a safe hold very valuable materials on the inside. Adam Pearce begins the album on "Take It Down" by soulfully crooning in his raspy, rock voice. He also plays a soft tune on his guitar before the music blasts into a rocking wall of sound and a heavy beat. "Throw it Away" has some rollicking guitar riffs for the chorus, but recedes during the verses to a minimum where just the vocals and drums by Johnny Sheets play; these guys defi nitely know how to make their music ebb and fl ow without loss of intensity.
Black Magnolia's rock music never crosses into the realm of abrasiveness or offensiveness, however, so it will pose no barriers to anyone. For example, while some songs like "Apocalypse" have a darker tone, others like "Show Me Who You Are" and "The Fighters" are hopeful and upbeat.
There are many guests along on Fields Are Burning including Spencer Lemoine, Randy Jackson, and George Hollishead, and even the album's producer Matt Beeson performs guitar on "Show Me Who You Are" and "You Are The One," as well as being the writer of and performing on "Vampyre". Beeson and the production team did an amazing job with Fields Are Burning: the sound is vibrant and every instrument and vocalist during moments of harmony can be heard clearly. Black Magnolia has the talent, ingenuity, and technical team to make a big noise.
