Gary Dranow Band: The Masked Facade Review: Retro Rock Flavored Goodness

If you grew up on mid-70s rock- tunes the likes of Ted Nugent and Peter Frampton- dudes that let their guitar and lyrics do the talking, then the Gary Dranow Band’s new single, “The Masked Facade,” the lead track off their upcoming full length concept LP of the same name, is a treat. 

Behind killer guitar work and lyrics you can sing along quickly to, this near five-minute audio adventure (that’s what it feels like) is great sneak peek at the band’s full length concept LP set for a April 25, 2025 release.

Simply put, this track is a pure flashback. It’s got everything you could want out of a killer rock track- and not the rock that’s on the radio today. The stuff they never play anymore- Jethro Tull, Blue Oyster Cult. The good stuff.

A lot of that has to do with the guitars. From the start, the guitar work on this track is excellent. Shades of Grand Funk Railroad, Lynyrd Skynyrd and even Boston are here. As the song goes on, they compliment the vocals perfectly and give themselves enough room to still stand out.

Great vocals are just the start. There’s a story here. The lyrics though put it all together beautifully:

“Two souls entwined, a twisted ballet,

Patrick and Brian, a duality

One wears a mask, while the other bares his teeth,

Their battle rages on, skin beneath.”

There’s even more to the story. According to the track’s press release, ‘Masked Facade’ is a concept album exploring the life and darkness of a man who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. By day, the man is a loving husband, parent and workmate named Patrick. By night, he becomes Brian, a Serial Killer, who preys on women on the fringes of society, mostly but not exclusively prostitutes. There’s even more characters here. Simply put, this could be a film or a comic book, it’s that deep.

Wild. In a day and age where no one takes risk, this release is a big one, but it’s got something to it. There’s more here. The concept, the lyrics, the guitar- it’s all proof.

Add in the consistent drum beat, solidifying bass and that retro appeal and “The Masked Facade” is a track you’ll listen to over and over. Judging each facet of the track by itself renders it awesome, but the some of its parts make it something truly special.

For more on the band- Click Here.

mm
About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14593 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*