Alien is the debut album from Cosmo, featuring Fran and Antonio Cosmo of Boston. It appears that they have been trying to get their own band off the ground for some 15 years or so, but their initial plans were shelved when Fran was offered the vocalist position in Boston, an opportunity too good to turn down. 

So now, all these years later, Cosmo the band get an opportunity of their own to showcase their modern rock songs under the prolific Frontiers banner. 

From the little I knew about the band, I was expecting something quite laid back, perhaps a bit retro in feel, but what you get here is something altogether different. The sound is clean, powerful modern rock and every time you think there’s a more traditional ballad like “Don’t Tell Me Your Lies” or “Helicopter” on the way, there’s always a modern tinge or searing guitar section to provide the unexpected. 

It’s difficult to try to pinpoint the sound in terms of other bands for comparisons to help give you an idea of the overall feel of the band, but I can definitely hear the likes of White Lion and modern-day Winger in the mix, as well as someone more modern such as Butch Walker, but without the obvious catchiness of the latter. 

One thing I would mention is the running order, as I felt most of the stronger material on the album was in the second half, with the exception of the second track, the aforementioned “Don’t Tell Me Your Lies” the latter songs, especially 'When I Close My Eyes', 'Woman' & Can't Run Away' prove to be personal favourites and perhaps deserve a place much earlier in the proceedings for maximum impact. 

In summary, this isn’t at all what I expected, which in this case is a pleasant surprise. I haven’t had the opportunity to play it too many times as yet, but it has definitely grown on me every time I’ve heard it so far and I would definitely recommend that you stick with it, because whilst it is good on first listening anyway, it gets even better with every spin.

Let us know your views on 'Alien'

Track List

Communication
Don't Tell Me Your Lies
No Surprise
Gravity
Redemption
Helicopter
Alien
When I Close My Eyes
Woman
Can't Run Away
Creep
Don't Tell Me Your Lies

Line Up

Fran Cosmo - Vocals
Antonio Cosmo - Guitars
Bill Carman - Bass
Mick Brooks - Guitars
Pat Orlowski - Drums