Michael Angelo: the next Axl Rose?

Remember Guns N' Roses? Van Halen, maybe? Illinois-based band C4, who will be playing at Mellenbash on Oct. 6, remembers them too. The guitar riffs, the drums and the lyrics all sound like our favorites from the pre-grunge period. Even the vocals are reminiscent of Axl Rose, having the same basic sound and most of the attitude.\nMostly, there isn't anything on their debut album, Call to Arms, that you couldn't have gotten better back in the late '80s or early '90s. But that doesn't mean the album isn't well done, just that it isn't overly original.\nFans of pre-grunge rock will probably get a kick out of these 10 tracks. The band does a really good job of picking up on the sound; the musicians play it true to form and spirit. But the one thing that C4 doesn't do is improve on it. So though the music is entertaining enough, the band doesn't come across with any epic tracks like "November Rain" or "Sweet Child O' Mine" that made the sound so appealing in the first place. The closest it comes is with the love song "Heartbeat," which is by far the best track on the album.\nThe technical aspect is good -- the band sounds good as a unit. But if you're going to echo a sound, it is important that you try to improve on it. C4 doesn't stray at all from the sound and doesn't experiment with other things.\nBut for a debut album, Call to Arms seems somewhat promising. Granted, comparisons to Guns N' Roses aren't exactly fair to C4. They're just the closest available. So if you like your old, traditional rock and are tired of the carbon copy pop songs out these days, check out C4 for a little blast from the past.