J-Man
Sweden's hard rock and melodic metal revival in recent years has spawned a lot of great new acts - enough to have it considered a formal "movement" by some metal journalists. But with every growing music movement, there are a few bands that miss the mark by a bit. Sanchez misses that mark by numerous country miles with this album, Run the Streets. The music sounds like a second-rate derivative of 80's glam metal bands, it comes across as extremely uninspired, and to top it all off, the production and musicianship are sub-par at best. This isn't a good album (in my opinion, at least) by any stretch of the imagination. Fans of retro-glam metal may want to check it out, but I wouldn't recommend doing so.
Sanchez plays a style of 80's-influenced, pop-oriented glam metal in the vein of Bon Jovi or Van Halen. Although there have been some successful "clones" of such acts, Run the Streets reminds me of second, or even third, rate clones. The corny and clichéd lyrics don't help it sound any more original either. Aside from the terribly derivative sound, the music itself isn't that strong. The only song I actually enjoy is "Empty Words", and even that one is far from perfect. The riffs just aren't that powerful, and the vocals from Jose Sanchez border on horrendous. Some people may enjoy his style, but it really sounds like a weak karaoke party sing-off to me. The production is thin and lacking in power - the guitars aren't high enough in the mix, and the overall sound is dry. This would've benefited greatly from a professional production.
Needless to say, I wasn't very impressed by Run the Streets, and I can't see the album ever getting another spin from me. People who can't get enough of old school Bon Jovi may want to look into this, but beware that this is a far from professional product. If Sanchez wants to impress me with their next effort, more than a few shallow and forgettable riffs will be necessary. 1 star is deserved for Run the Streets. You can undoubtedly find plenty of better glam metal releases this year.