Mark Shearer - God Rest Ye Merry Bells
Rock, Instrumental
California, U.S.
Overall Impression: Composer and pianist Mark Shearer serves up an exciting Christmas medley, with his release of “God Rest Ye Merry Bells”. This track features a breathtaking symphonic rock arrangement that combines two well-known carols and delivers an electrifying listening experience, blending lush strings and familiar holiday melodies alongside intricate prog-rock rhythms and saturated guitars. Mark Shearer's "God Rest Ye Merry Bells" is deserving of a spot atop any holiday playlist, and is now available for streaming on all major music platforms.
Strongest Point(s): Outstanding production, excellent mix. Thrilling arrangement, the energy and excitement is palpable. Great choice of material to mash-up, the two tunes blend nicely and share a common tonality. Strings sound amazing, nice wonderful and expression. Drums sound fantastic throughout, very animated and dynamic part-writing. Love the transition section that begins around the 50 second mark, guitar sounds awesome through that passage, great tone. Invigorating rhythmic character in the second half that will drive audiences wild. Great build up to the finish. All in all this is a brilliant track that has obvious commercial and media applications, aside from simply being an entertaining and compelling arrangement that puts a contemporary spin on a couple of Christmastime favorites. Incredible work, from start to finish!
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Pop/Rock, Holiday, Prog Rock, Symphonic Rock, Classical Crossover
Artist target suggestions: Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mannheim Steamroller, Electric Light Orchestra, Symphony X, Nightwish, The Wizards of Winter, The Kings of Christmas
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About the Reviewer:
Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.