Reason for Motion may be the debut album from Manic Drive, but the Cavallo brothers who lead the band are seasoned recording and touring veterans despite their youth. Shawn--the lead vocalist, drummer and primary songwriter--is 19; brother Michael, who plays guitar and adds backing vocals, is an elderly 21. Even so, the brothers have released four albums prior to this one. Formerly known as OneCross, they began writing songs before the age of 10, and were soon performing across Canada. As a result of all that experience, there is a musical maturity and variety not typically seen in bands this young--thankfully, Manic Drive doesn't just play ten variations on one song.
Reason for Motion pulls no punches in songs like their first radio single, Nebulous, written by Shawn:
You can't stay here in the darkness / Thinking about it / But your mind is nebulous / You can't see with your blindness / I choose to live with the righteous / I know that I have fallen too / But may my mistakes and follies be lessons to you
My daughter Erika and I saw them play a couple of weeks ago at GMA week in Nashville, and they were tremendous. The Cavallo brothers teamed up with two more brothers, Jason and Sambo from Justifide, putting on a high-energy rocking show with a lot of passion. I expect big things from this band as time goes by.
Reason for Motion will appeal to fans of bands like Linkin Park, P.O.D. and Pillar, offering driving modern rock riffs and intense vocals with an occasional rap core flavoring.
Manic Drive
Reason for Motion
2005 Whiplash Records
12 tracks, 41:44
12 tracks, 41:44
Reviewed 2005-04-25
By Randy Brandt