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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 25, 1992                   TAG: 9201250395
SECTION: SPECTATOR                    PAGE: S-14   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOE TENNIS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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NEW RECORDINGS

Rock

Much of The Toll's "Sticks and Stones and Broken Bones" (Geffen) could make an audio backdrop for any occasion requiring a little guitar, drums and melody from a generic rock band.

The Toll came into the hard-rock scene as an underground band four years ago. Its music is middle-of-the-road: heavy enough to satisfy headbangers but not blaring enough to produce headaches. For example, in "Something 'Bout the Struggle" and "One Last Wish," the band's beat is solid, and the melodies are catchy without being consuming.

One standout is "Sweet Misery," an "LA Woman"-structured workout that steps forward with U2-styled guitars, then drops into a short rap break. The tune climbs musical foothills to become an R&B shouter with a chorus echoing vocalist Brad Circone's every line. The song later drops back for a few bars of funky blues before blasting up into a whirlwind of tornado-speed rhythms and screams.

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