By Caren Spitler

Here’s something new to check out. The band 8Stops7 was recently signed to the Warner/Reprise label. Their first CD "In Moderation" hit the stores on October 12^th. The four members of 8Stops7 have created a very solid first recording effort. They are all about rock and roll, pure clean and without additives. They’ve described their musical vision as "modern rock with a roots approach" These guys bring you well-written songs, with heart and passion, and just enough adrenaline to please. While this band has a formula of their own, the songs do not all sound alike. Seth Watson (guitars), Adam Powell (drums), Alex Viveros (bass), and Evan Sula-Goff (guitar/vocals) know how to rock! With twelve songs, "In Moderation" manages to pull from a wide range of sounds yet stays true to a central vision.

There are a couple of tracks on the CD that are on the softer side; ‘Question Everything,’ and ‘Good Enough,’ These tunes play out like those ballads they use to sell soda or TV shows like "Dawson’s Creek." These songs have a classic pop style to them; not my favorite but they are done nicely. Another cut on the more mellow side is ‘Forget.’ This song has just a faint hint of soul to it and sounds like a mixture of Tracy Chapman and James Taylor. The acoustic guitar on this song is beautiful. Although I am not usually a fan of ballads, I found them to be well written, performed and produced. And I might as well confess, yes, ‘Question Everything’ is a feel good song.

What remains to surround the softer tracks is a collection of excellent rock tune-age. ‘Regression,’ ‘My Would-Be Savior,’ and ‘Satisfied’ all come on strong with exhilarating guitars, a slamming rhythm section, and powerful vocals. Frontman Evan Sula-Goff has an incredibly sexy, raw breathy voice. The second cut on the CD ‘Not Alive’ makes the best of Evan’s talent as a singer, the vocals being very rich and soulful. The track ‘Better’ is one of the heavier tunes. That song is just wicked; at times it feels slowed down with a sort of tripped-out and demented tempo. The guitar and bass work on this track has a sound like something you’d hear in a Korn song, perhaps a bit of influence from the producer Toby Wright (who also produced Korn, as well as Alice in Chains). There is a touch of blues inspiration to their songs, and for those of us who are willing to do more than the uniform "metal head-bang concussion move," 8Stops7 plays music you can actually move to.

I found "In Moderation", to be fairly satisfying, the crunchier tunes being more my speed. There are plenty of them and they are blazing hot! What may turn out to be either the kiss of death or the breath of life for this band is their similarity to some of the other hip new bands. There are definitely comparisons to be made to bands like Godsmack and Creed. Some of the slower tunes are even reminiscent of The Goo Goo Dolls. I would say this is an album worth checking out.