Stephen
I knew this band from a bonus disc of "Classic Rock" UK magazine couple years ago and they didn't impress me at all at first. I even heard their debut was swelled with mixed reviews with many old rock fans didn't like them at all, I suspected maybe because they're flirting with too many modern/alternative elements so I don't bother to touch their newer release until a friend of mine told me that I had to buy "Game of Fools" if I like Tesla or traditional hard rock/heavy metal because this disc smokes so I gave myself a chance to listen to one of their song, "155", and it blew me away right on the spot.
Looks like their musical style moved even further back and together with the likes of The Answer, Wolfmother, or Aibourne, Koritni joined the classic rock revival camp. "Game of Fools" has a major elements from early Aerosmith and AC/DC to the 80s hard rock bands of Kix, Tesla, and Guns N' Roses. Lex Koritni, the frontman, has improved significantly, and he truly has a wonderful voice, crossing between Steven Tyler and Jeff Keith. Cuerden and Santacreu proved to be a killer combos, reminded me of how Perry/Whitford or Slash/Izzy laid the platform for the band's soundscape.
"155", "V8 Fantasy", and "Nobody's Home" are an absolute in-your-face rock fuelled with carnaging riffs. Those are my instant favorites. "Roll The Dice" and the title track has a nice AC/DC chuggering style. "Stab In The Back" is a good slab of hard rock with southern touch. "By My Side" is an upbeat Buckcherry-zed commercial rock, could be a radio hit and in my opinion, is the best song offered here. "Keep Me Breathing" is also a nice midtempo commercial hard rock while the two parts of "Tornado Dreaming" is a genius mix between a laid-back semi ballad with a more pumping groove stuff.
"Game of Fools" caught me by surprise, a nice collection of well-crafted songs, probably the only weakness here is the lack of originality since most of the songs are basically have been done in the past, but if you see how legendary bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Rush, or Aerosmith started, they've done the same thing, learning from their past predecessors and eventually evolved to a better phase. Koritni is basically the same and for their hard work and improvement, this album clearly deserved a 4.5 stars.