Monty Are I 'Break Through the Silence' with sophomore album

10/28/09 - The Rhode Island-based action rock band Monty Are I returns to the front line with its long awaited sophomore album, Break Through the Silence.

Originally from Cranston, R.I. Monty Are I released the follow up to its debut album, Wall of People, on Sept. 22.

Admittedly, I have been a fan of the group for a couple years and was excited for their second album. Although this will serve as an introductory album to new MAI fans, many long-time fans are quick to note that these guys have been around for a while, having recorded three other full-length albums and a hit single, "Between the Sheets."

When listening to the group's "breakout album," Break Through the Silence, the first standout component is the vocals. Many, if not all of the tracks are set up with a lot of focus on lead singer Stephen Aiello's abilities, as well as backup vocalist/guitar/trumpet player Ryan Muir.

The two often share the songs and compliment each other's voices, as on my personal favorite, "San Riders Doomsday," and the title track, "Break through the Silence." The guitar riffs are another outstanding factor in the songs, and really emphasize the vocals, as on tracks like "The Stand" and "Hope."

Another interesting and pleasing factor is that the album seems to be split in two. Starting with "Kaleidoscope," many of the songs shift, and include obvious influences from the Middle East, which unexpectedly works in their favor.

Lacking on this album, however, are many of the components that made them famous with Wall of People. This is a much softer album than their previous effort and includes more slow songs.

But despite everything I have said about the album, there is no better way to get a feel for Monty Are I than to see them live. Having attended several MAI shows, their best by far was their Break Through the Silence album debut show at Lupo's on Oct. 9.

Like me, much of the crowd had seen them play before. Those who hadn't, however, were quickly introduced to the overpowering energy of a Monty Are I show. From the very beginning, their performance was filled with a chaos that somehow totally worked. Many band members switched between several instruments and jumped violently in the background. This could have been very distracting if not perfectly executed, but instead only served to engage the crowd.

MAI's set list included both new and old tracks, like "Between the Sheets" and "Dublin Waltz." Surprisingly, a good percentage of the crowd sang along to the new tracks, and thrust themselves as close to the stage as possible. The members (who, might I add, aren't all that difficult to look at) frequently moved toward the crowd, creating a frenzy of screams and hand-grabbing.

The highlight of the show undoubtedly came when the Cranston High School East drum-line joined them on stage for a remix of "Kaleidoscope." During a breakdown of the song, Aiello and Muir joined the students and played alongside them on two drums in the center of the stage for a hard-hitting drum solo.

One of the best parts of their show was the crowd. There was a sense of pride in the audience about how far the band had come, and the relationship between the band and the crowd was unusual: it was that of friends, not fans.

This was apparent before and after the show. While most bands arrive just before they go on stage and leave right afterward. The band could all be seen in front of the club talking and catching up with fans and old friends before the show. After the show, they came out immediately, hugging the several family members present and signing autographs at the merchandise tables.

Despite the success MAI will have with Break Through the Silence, I highly suggest that any new fan of Monty Are I either take a listen to Wall of People or see them live, in order to gain a true understanding of what the band is and why their fans have stuck around for so long. As for now, I think I may just keep "Sand Riders Doomsday" on repeat.