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The String Theory: Falling Like The Sun

This may say more about me than about the band, but the first time I listened to Falling Like The Sun by The String Theory, I was reminded of the time Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins [Foo Fighters] joined forces with Nick Raskulinecz to perform "Overture" from Rush's 2112 at The 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  This was a nod of acknowledgment and honor for the former and a passing-of-the-torch moment for the latter. 

http://youtu.be/zxsR4VBLC_s

Falling Like the Sun, the debut album from Independence, KY's  The String Theory, busts out of the chute with blistering guitar and driving rhythms with a sound much bigger than a 3-piece is supposed to produce.  

http://youtu.be/P12RFZ0Cc-Q

The album was recorded at Moonlight Studios in Fairfield, Ohio, by engineer and producer, Eric Tuffendsam.  Tuffendsam has done a spectacular job of capturing the power and energy of the music by accentuating the sense of balance The String Theory generates between crisp, clean quietude and face-melting power-chord rock.

"If I could send a message to the whole human race, it would say, 'Here I come.'" - "Falling Like the Sun"

The album opens with the title track which grabs you around the collar, flings you around a bit and leaves you breathless; but it closes with the much more gentle "The Drunken Dutchman," which is eerie, somber and completely engaging.

Andrew Sterner (bass) and Tristan Arnold (drums) have a nearly symbiotic rhythmic connection, much like the one that has sustained Rush's Neil Peart and Geddy Lee through the decades.  Together they display an abundance of playing ability contrasted by a level of maturity that is beyond their age.  They just simply seem to know when to keep it together and when to let it all loose.

David Cahill, in the vein of Dave Grohl, can shred with the best of them but he is able to even that out with gentle phrases and a clean tone that is crisp and sensual.  As a vocalist, Cahill proves that he's not simply a frontman, he is a singer. In songs like "A Delay," Cahill can go from sweet to super-sonic in a single breath and not sound strained in the least.

The level of musicianship, virtuosity and songwriting that you'll find on Falling Like the Sun is far beyond what you might expect from a first release.   If The String Theory can sustain this level of work through the years, we may some day see the torch being passed through Northern Kentucky.

Falling Like the Sun by The String Theory is available from iTunes, CDBaby, Amazon.com or from the band's website.

Jim is a Northern Kentucky native and a father of three. In his spare time, Jim likes to read, play ice hockey and watch foreign films. He currently resides with his family on the East side of town.