Lillian Axe – ‘The Quickening’ (the box set vol II) |
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BAND MEMBERS: |
DISCOGRAPHY FEATURED ON THIS RELEASE: ‘Fields of Yesterday’ – 1999
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‘BOXSET VOL. 2 ‘THE QUICKENING’
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Biography from 1999-2024:
In 1999, Lillian Axe released ‘Fields of Yesterday’, consisting of unreleased demos and album outtakes, followed by Live 2002, recorded in May 2002 in Houston, Texas, with only Taylor and Blaze remaining from the classic MCA lineup.
After several lineup changes, the band recruited lead vocalist Derrick LeFevre, who appeared on ‘Waters Rising’ (2007), ‘Sad Day on Planet Earth’ (2009) and ‘Deep Red Shadows’ (2010). On June 23, 2010, Ronny Munroe, formerly of Metal Church, replaced LeFevre, but he departed four months later before recording any material with the band. On March 7, 2011, Munroe was replaced by Brian C. Jones, who can be heard on the album ‘XI The Days Before Tomorrow’ (2012).
On May 16, 2010, in Erwinville, Louisiana, Lilian Axe became the first hard rock act to be inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
In 2011, it was announced that the original lineup of Steve Blaze, Johnny Vines, Danny King and Michael "Maxx" Darby would reunite to record an album of classic unreleased songs from the band's early days. The project, entitled Circle of Light, was named for one those early songs. The album titled ‘Rebirth’ was released in 2012.
Lillian Axe released One Night in the Temple, an acoustic live album, early in 2014.
On November 29, 2014, former guitarist Jon Ster died from heart failure at the age of 52.
On January 12, 2017, Lillian Axe received the 2017 Jackson Indie Music Week Icon Award at Duling Hall in Jackson, Mississippi.
On November 30, 2018 Steve Blaze announced the next Lillian Axe album is in the works, tentatively entitled ‘From Womb to Tomb’, and it will be in large part an autobiographical work. Blaze also states the album will feature "strings, piano, big vocals" and describes it as a "celebration type record – of life – good and bad."
On February 13, 2020, Steve Blaze announced that Lillian Axe were amicably parting ways with lead vocalist Brian Jones. The announcement also stated that Jones would still be a part of the Lillian Axe family in many capacities, and Blaze wished Jones luck in his solo career. On February 21, 2020, Blaze announced the new singer would be Brent Graham. Graham was the original vocalist for Blaze's side project "Sledgehammer," and vocalist of the New Orleans-based band Supercharger.
In September 2021, Lillian Axe announced that they had signed to the newly-formed label Global Rock Records, and had started recording their first studio album in nearly a decade, titled ‘From Womb to Tomb’. The album was released on August 19, 2022. Steve Blaze described the album by saying it was a "timeline from the birth of a child to the ascension of the soul, with each song emphasizing a specific time of one's life and the lessons learned therein."
In October 2021, the Lillian Axe catalog was rereleased on all digital formats worldwide by Global Rock, vinyl followed inBox Set 2022.
On November 5, 2021, Steve Blaze was inducted for the second time into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame for his contributions as a guitarist and songwriter.
On September 12, 2023, it was announced that Lillian Axe had signed to BraveWords Records and will release their next album on that label in 2024.
‘The Box Set vol. 2 The Quickening’:
‘…The Quickening’ is a six CD box set that covers all of the Lillian Axe studio releases from 1999, 2010-2022. The titles of these releases are as follows: ‘Fields of Yesterday’ (1999), ‘Deep Red Shadows’ (2010), ‘XI The Day Before Tomorrow’ (2012), ‘One Night In The Temple’ (2 CD live & acoustic). Plus, a live bootleg recording ‘Live At Summerfest ‘99’(recorded in Milwaukee) and Circle of Light – ‘Rebirth’ (2012). The line-up of Circle of Light features Steve Blaze (guitars), Johnny Vines (vocals), Michael “Maxx” Darby (bass) and Danny King (drums). This was the Lillian Axe line-up four years before getting signed. At some point within those four years of being signed the line-up would once again change to Ron Taylor (vocals), John Ster (rhythm guitar), Darren Delatte (bass) and Danny King (drums) Outside of ‘Fields of Yesterday’ ‘…The Quickening’ picks up where ‘The Box set Vol 1 Ressurection’ left off.
Fist things first, from right off bat Lillian Axe has had to fight an uphill battle. First thing was being signed to MCA which let’s be honest not the best label for hard rock/heavy metal artists. Plus the screw-up on the release date (which who knows who to blame. I can just tell you that the CD’s wasn’t manufactured.-Ron Taylor told me this around ’96 or ‘97) then you take into account that their ‘S/T’ release was released during a time when the market was being saturated with hard rock. It was almost impossible for them to gain the traction they really deserved. However, just go back and listen to those first couple of albums again. Musically, these first couple albums still to this day rank up there with anything that was released from ’86-’91!
‘The Box Set Vol 1 Resurrection’ was released in November 2023 and contains 7 CD’s covering the Lillian Axe studio releases from 1992-2009 and consists of ‘Poetic Justice’(1992), ‘Psychoschizophrenia’(1993), ‘Live 2002’(2002), ‘Waters Rising’(2007), ‘Sad Day On Planet Earth’(2009) plus the hard to find Steve Blaze solo release ‘Random Acts Of Blindness’(2004).
I think most artists really don’t get real use or comfortable with the music business or the process of writing, recording, touring rinse and repeat process until about their third album. For me, even since their ‘S/T’ release I have always thought Steve was a master of guitar playing and knowing just how to arrange the lyrical content with the musical arrangements. I will even go as far as saying he is by far my favorite musician at doing this! At some point between the release of ‘Love + War’ in 1989 and ‘Poetic Justice’ in 1992 it is like a switch flipped on. The songs with each release have just got more and technical lyrically and definitely musically. His lyrics are getting more and more intellectual. Then stacking guitar arrangement on top of guitar arrangement and I’m not even including what John Ster played or current guitarist Sam Pointevent. There aren’t many hard rock/heavy metal bands that stray from their songwriting blueprint. However Steve does, he writes what he writes and is able to accommodate that arrangement into a Lillian Axe sounding song. I have listened to this band for thirty-six years, and it never fails on how many times I have heard a song I will always hear something I have never heard before.
You can purchase both release through Cherry Red Records. ‘The Boxset Vol.1 Resurrection’ is £37.99 or $48.20 and ‘The Box Set Vol 2 The Quickening’ for £35.99 or $45.65. That’s just under $100.00 for 13 full length studio release plus bonus tracks. Too me as great as this band is that is a hell of a bargain!