Artist: The Limit Album: Reinventing The Sun Label: TL LLC Website: http://www.thelimitmusic.com Reviewer: Bill Knispel

Track List: 1 House of Sand 2 Closer 3 A Little Like Dying 4 Sky Walker 5 Everything 6 Time Can't Keep Me 7 Mother Maria 8 Best Thing 9 The Things You Want 10 Gravity 11 Save Yourself 12 Hard to Say Goodbye 13 Hard to Say Goodbye Reprise Milford Connecticut is not exactly known as a hotbed for new rock music. It's no Seattle or Chicago or Manchester UK or what have you. Thus, it's a bit of a surprise to see a solid modern rock album like Reinventing the Sun, the latest output from trio The Limit, popping into my inbox. A little digging on line shows that this is the band's second full-length release, following on from their self-titled 2004 release. Stylistically The Limit is, as mentioned, modern rock...not exactly alternative, nor really straight up hard rock, their material features driving beats, nicely layered vocals, and a penchant for tight songwriting that set them apart a bit from a lot of what's out on the market today. Mark Daniel has the golden rock god look down...but he adds passionate vocal stylings and solid guitar playing as substance to go along with that style. Not necessarily flashy, his playing is nonetheless fluid and easy. He plays nicely off the tight rhythm section of Bob Chmiel on drums and Todd Grasberg on bass. The band itself is tight, able to shift moods and tempos easily without sounding pieced together or jerky. While the band's material isn't complex or intricately composed, it does offer some changes and shifts from song to song that keep things interesting and enjoyable. A track like "A Little Like Dying" showcases much of what The Limit has to offer. Slightly distorted guitar is played gently and quietly as Mark Daniel's voice comes from the distance. Chmiel adds some percussive accents, with Grasberg joining in shortly after with a few carefully placed bass guitar notes. The song builds slowly, and when it finally breaks out, the gradual build is paid off in spades. I particularly like the multi-tracked vocals throughout and the sort of double time feel as the band kicks into a cracking instrumental section about three minutes in is a nice change-up that keeps the song moving and interesting. Album opener "House of Sand" is a solid lead in track as well, with plenty of energy and attitude to welcome the listener in. "Mother Maria" shows off another side of the band entirely, with bluegrass/Celtic feel throughout the all too brief 2 minute instrumental. This is the kind of thing Jimmy Page would toss on an album back in the early days of Led Zeppelin to break things up and ensure variety and fresh sounds were placed throughout, and it's a welcome breath on this album. "Hard To Say Goodbye" (broken into two index points, and totaling over seven minutes) is the album's longest track, and features an instrumental arrangement that sometimes sounds like a more restrained, laid back Iron Maiden (I’m thinking specifically about the opening musical motif, heard throughout the track). The second portion of the track shows the band moving in slightly more textured, almost progressive directions. The almost pedal tone guitar work, coupled with gentle piano, is a sound unlike any on the album, and one which I enjoy a great deal. The Limit shows a lot of potential on this second album release. Reinventing the Sun is perhaps not as revolutionary as its title might suggest, but the band shows that they have a sound that is theirs alone. If you're looking for a good rock album that sounds fresh and energetic without being cookie cutter or processed and ProTools-ed to death, Reinventing the Sun might be right up your alley. Band Members: Mark Daniel - lead vocals/guitar Bob Chmiel - drums Todd Grasberg - bass guitar