Kev Rowland
James Christian may have been fronting this band for more than 30 years, but neither he nor the rest of the guys are showing any sign whatsoever of slowing down. There have been a few different periods of the band since it was first pulled together by none other than Gregg Giuffria (Angel) and signed by Gene Simmons, but James has been a constant, and Jimi Bell (guitar) and drummer B.J. Zampa have been there since 2005 and this is also the second album featuring bassist Chris Tristram. They have looked outside the band to assist with the songwriting this time, as they wrote most of the numbers with Mark Spiro (Giant, Bad English, Cheap Trick etc.) as well as also collaborating with Tommy Denander, Chris Pelcer, and Richard Hymas.
With those names involved, and the band themselves on fire, then one knows exactly what this album is going to sound like, namely melodic hard rock which sounds as if it has come fresh out of the 70’s with loads of melody and into the 80’s with panache and hooks to die for. The production manages to keep the music just this side of bubblegum pop, the result being that here is a guilty pleasure as while this type of music was done for by the likes of grunge and all the extremes of metal which exploded in the 90’s, there cannot be many who will fail to just smile all the way through this release. We all know there is far more deep and meaningful music out there, and bands that really live it in a way we understand, but sometimes all you want is hard rock with passion, hooks, harmony vocals and melody, and these guys really know how to deliver just that. There may be too many “ooh’s” for some, but take it from me this is an incredibly enjoyable release, and at the end of it isn’t that what music is supposed to be all about? For 48 minutes this is an escape from the rather frightening world around us and we are transported to a place of lights and glamour, as if the darkness will never gather again.