"...as the final Words and Music of 2006, we sorted
through the almost 60 releases sent to us this year,
with these landing on the Top Ten of our list
(in no particular order )..."
1.Veluxe-What's Keeping You
2.The Quitters - 1982 3.WALES ROAD -
SNAKE HISSES AND JUDAS KISSES
4.New York Vaults - Fuel Your Fascination
5.The Hi Risers - The Fine Art of Making Mistakes
6.BML - Indicative of Obnoxious Behavior
7.Bird Circuit - Mercurochrome
8.Leah Zicari-Bootlegged DVD
9.Buddhahood-Muddy Roots
10.Low Ton - Born From A Rainstorm
-Michelle Picardo
Free Time Magazine
Dec.20,2006
City Mag Reviews
Wales Road Snakes EP
This Week's Short Takes
By Frank De Blase
CITY MAGAZINE
Sept. 13,2006
WALES ROAD
"On the new Wales Road CD 'Snake Hisses and Judas
Kisses', the band gets down and dirty in the beer
soaked trenches, focusing its Christian Ministry
on the secular joints it plays. Face it, alot of rock
fans don't go to church. But even though Wales Road is
painting a pretty picture on a stained canvas, the
message never supersedes the music.
I don't wanna hear religion anywhere, but Tommy Wales'
guitar just sounds so good and he songs are so well
written that I'm willing to rock with the Rock of
Ages. The new material is darker than previous Wales
Road endeavors and oughta attract more fans regardless
of whether they're down with the message or not.... "
Free Time Magazine Reviews Wales Road Snakes EP
Words And Music
By Michelle Picardo
Free Time Magazine
Sept.13,2006
"...WALES ROAD has another recording under their belts
in the form of a EP, SNAKE HISSES AND JUDAS KISSES.
Singer/songwriter/guitarist TOM WALES just can't help
himself when it comes to rocking out, crafting songs
that stick in your head for days, complete with
guitar-churning grooves and lyrics that speak of
struggles within relationships,ourselves and life in
general. The cleverly named title track kicks
off the CD in winning fashion, with a smokin' guitar
solo that sits on the edge of prog,classic and punk
rock.
"Pretty Obvious" has hooks to spare, and as Wales
sings "It's pretty obvious you don't think about
me/The way I think about you," the wounds of love gone
wrong are apparent...."
Video: Snake Hisses and Judas Kisses
Click the Play Button to Watch Video
Audio Snippets: Snake Hisses and Judas Kisses
$12.00 - price includes shipping!
Democrat + Chronicle Reviews Wales Road Snakes EP
WALES ROAD STAYS ON ITS PATH
By Jeff Spevak
Democrat & Chronicle
Sept 14, 2006
His guitar wailing like any apocalyptic headbanger,
Rochester's premier - only? - Christian-metal rocker,
Tom Wales celebrates the release of a five-song CD,
Snake Hisses and Judas Kisses, Sunday at the Bug Jar.
Wales Road, as he calls his trio (including bassist
Steve Rousseau and drummer Bobby Stahlbrodt ) ,
continues on a path that that's more Alice Cooper
than...well, actually, Alice Cooper's kinda found God,
so maybe that IS the path .It's Wales' 12th release,
and he'll follow up Sunday's show with performances
Oct. 7 at Richmond's and Oct. 21 at Milestones for a
spot in the "Heaven and Hell Show": Wales Road is
heaven, the White Devils are Hell, and apparently
St.Phillip's Escalator is between the two in
Purgatory, conveying you one way or the other.
Over the years, Wales Road has ventured to several
corners of the musical map, particularly the blues of
the 2004 release, Cowkickers. But Snake Hisses and
Judas Kisses is straightforward metal, although metal
bends from sweet ballads to 11 on the volume control.
"I've always had a hard edge", Wales says.
And the ballad?
"It still crunches."
It all crunches. Wales' anguished howl of
"baby, were all snakessssssss..." highlights the title
track, and is followed by a pretty ballad "Gone".
Delicate strings give way to the angry pounding of
"Pretty Obvious", as Wales joins the legion of rock
starts pouring out their anguish at being dumped by a
partner: "My heart is not something for you to break
at will."
"This is my breakup album," Wales says.
"She just said,'See ya'. That's what inspired the
songs, and the spiritual healing at the end."
He was also inspired by Evanescence, the ethereal
metal band.
"I was in the parking lot at Wal-Mart when I heard
it," he says.
"I bawled my eyes out. I tried to dig deep into my
sadness, my emotions of rejection and pain. People
respond to that:'This guy's been hurt.'"
And, "playing in bars, you gotta play songs that
people can cry in their beers over. "
Wales is one Christian rocker who has no problem
with playing in bars.
" Jesus hung out with sinners all the time", he says.
Anyone in a bar is a sinner?
"I'm a sinner; you're a sinner,"
Wales says.
"Besides, these are paying gigs, man. "
