Son of Here is the first review of Epiphany.....
Micheal Popke Sea of Tranquility
Doing his damnedest to channel David Coverdale, Sammy Hagar and Zak Stevens, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Bryan Erickson has recorded a solid debut CD. The frontman of the Minneapolis hard-rock band Torok, Erickson played most of the instruments on Epiphany himself, drafting session player Greg Morrow to man the drums and Torok's lead guitarist Mike Torok, plus three other axe men who lay down a slew of solos. This is confident, tough-sounding hard rock that often borders on metal, never stints on melody and provides some major muscular moments with "Black Rain Falls" and its dark gang chorus; the huge, eyes-wide-open "Blind Man;" and the acoustic closer "Gone," which is Epiphany's rawest and most-effective track. It reveals Erickson's saavy delivery style and includes a devastatingly haunting piano hook.
Son of Eric provides Erickson (is that a play on words, dude?) with a credible musical outlet. He won't become a rock and roll star, but at this point, I don't think he wants to. Epiphany sounds like it was made from the gut, not the wallet — and in today's fragmented universe of musical pretenders, that's worth more than gold and platinum.
Here are the lyrics to all of the nine tracks on Epiphany..
The Truth
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Power don’t ask
why thunder burning
Concrete and
steel hearts been twisted
Eye of the storm
left us reeling
(Chorus)
Things change in
the blink of an eye
Children cry and
their parents ask why
Thunder burn its
all you can do
Torn apart
can’t you see its true?
(Bridge)
I won’t ask
You can’t lie
I never thought I
could be this be that and survive
(Solo Todd Duane)
Sift through the
dust-covered graveyard
Memories of loved
ones invade
Hell hath no fury
Family taken away
(Repeat Chorus)
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Greed love and
suspicion there is blood stains on your hands
Can’t see what
is behind you fear of fate on your head
Past sins come a
calling it’s time to pay, time to pay the man
(Chorus)
High plains
drifter/high plains drifter
High
plains drifter/high plains drifter
High plains
drifter
(Bridge)
You see me bleed
in the streets you see me fall to my knees I saw the fear in your eyes
You sold your
friends and your soul you felt fear before
The stranger is
here and now you are going to pay for your lies
(Solo-Mike Torok)
Paint it red to
invite him burn this whole, burn this whole place down
(Repeat chorus)
He rides a horse
called war, a horse called war, a horse called war
Music/lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Black rain falls
filled with death and gloom
Weakened state
dazed and drug induced
Filled with pain
no one cares for you
(Pre-Chorus)
And I know it’s
you
So don’t lie
your eyes show it’s true
Limp ass prick
feel the eyes they burn
Tortured souls
won’t you ever learn
They try to say
that it’s your troubled youth
Make excuses for
the things you do
(Pre-Chorus)
(Chorus)
Black, look what
you did is real
Rain, all the
pain you will feel
Falls
Black rain black,
black rain
I said Black,
look what you did is real
Rain, all the
pain you will feel
Falls
Black rain
Falls….
(Solo-Todd Duane)
Loosened rope
fits around your neck
Fucking coward
kicks the chair legs back
Snapping sound as
the darkness comes
Eternal pain has
just begun
(Pre-chorus)
(Chorus)
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Fire inside the
reason you breathe
The reason you
breathe
Feelings I’ve
had since the day I was born
The look in your
eyes the reason you are warned
The reason you
are warned
(Pre-chorus)
Keep on thinking
of the days gone by
The reasons you
give when you lay there and cry
Stand up and face
all the demons you hide
You are running
in place you know where they lie
(Chorus)
Why so said
it’s all you know
It’s not your
fault you were born
(Bridge)
I was born on the
right side of a heartland Midwest town
Never knew what
it meant to be strung out, strung out lost and down
(Solo- Todd
Duane)
Burned
out and fried as I lay here and bleed
Fire inside
burning holes, holes you can see
Holes you can see
(Repeat
pre-chorus)
(Chorus)
Fierce
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Lies keep burying
me.
Scowling faces,
endless conversations
Line begins
behind me
Wise man needs to
be, hard escape your dreams
Lies you begin to
see
Strong is the
scent you crave, demons that light your way
No turning back
can’t be saved
(Chorus)
Keep asking me
why
Can’t get that
feeling again. That feeling again
I’m telling you
now
Something fierce
burns inside me again
Burns inside me
again
(Bridge)
Fear
of pain and seclusion
Fear that cloaks
you and I
Don’t pretend
to know what this means
Don’t
understand, but I still want to see
Fear of
knowledge, fear to be free
Something fierce
burning deep down, deep inside of me
(Solo-John Lyell)
Old man looks
just like me
I can’t believe
it, never want to see this
Lord have mercy
on me
(Chorus)
Blind
Man
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Please forgive me
Lights burn so
bright
Questions over
time and what we have done right
(Refrain)
Learning from all
our mistakes
Shield us from
the evil I see today
Warped grow in
what is unknown
Learning from the
ones who were there before
I say nothing,
can’t feel
Blind are my eyes
Please forgive me
Lights burn
always so bright
Questions over
time and what we have done right
(Refrain)
(Bridge)
I said blind man
senses what he knows is in store
Can’t hide from
what you try to ignore
Blind Man
(Solo-Mike Torok)
(Refrain)
I’ve lived long
enough
I know choices
are hard to make
I’ve been the
last in line
I know a hunger
that just won’t fade
I’ve seen both
good and bad
I hate to
complain
But my eyes are
closed
Oh Lord I gave it
away
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
I looked twice
and seen it come back twofold
It’s been good
it’s been bad it’s been ugly
All that’s left
and what has crept up beside of me
The feeling I get
when I’m losing control
I fell in Love
with an angel
Searched so long
her face is etched on my soul
It’s been good
it’s been bad it’s been ugly
All that’s left
and what has crept up beside of me
Our hearts beat
as one with time we will grow old
(Chorus)
And I keep
searching on
Light from the
past will show the way
And I keep
searching on
The grip is
strong it’s hard to break hold
Grip is strong
it’s hard to break hold
It’s hard to
break hold
(Solo-Mike Torok)
I fell in love
with an angel
I searched so
long and seen it come back, come back get back
It’s
been good it’s been bad it’s been ugly
All that’s left
and what has crept up beside of me
She has taken me
in I can finally let go
(Chorus)
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Followed many
roads on my way
The path I chose
to follow
Demons
Light my way
I’ve seen love
hate and conviction
Dreamed a life I
should lead
The path I chose
is less traveled
Lord
Have
mercy on me me
(Chorus)
I’m
lost and never found
I try it’s got
a hold I’m all alone
I’m lost and
never found
I try it’s got
a hold I’m all alone won’t let go
(Bridge)
I keep thinking
as my time has past
My last drink is
it all I have
Hard to see when
you are numb with fear
It sounds cliché
but the end is near
(Solo-Matt
Graunke)
I’ve seen the
eyes of an angel
Felt the touch
helped me breathe
Past the road
less traveled
Find
My strength
(Chorus)
I try it’s got
hold I‘m alone won’t let
All my life
can’t ask why Lord I’ll try
Gone
Music/Lyrics:
Bryan Erickson
Words that we
heard words that we said
(Chorus)
Time is up
can’t get back
Try to fight for
all we had
I can’t be
there for you if I’m gone
I’m gone
Intentional pain
intentional lies
Feeling so
strange never asking why
(Chorus)
I’m gone
I’m gone
I’m gone, gone,
gone if I’m gone
(Bridge)
You tell me I’m
right you tell me I’m wrong
All these mixed
feelings as the days go on
Why can’t there
be some other way (Repeat)
I felt this
before I can feel it now
Strong as it was
it’s even stronger now
It’s easy to
see there is no other way
No other way
(Solo-Bryan
Erickson)
(Chorus)
Bryan and his "Son of Eric" band mates, bass player Mike Jezmer on the right and drummer Mark Jezmer on the left . Son of Eric's new CD "Epiphany" official release date is November 25th 2008. Featuring nine tracks of good old fashion "HEAVY" hard rock.....