Hardline
was formed by the Gioeli brothers; Johnny (vocals) and Joey (guitars) in the
early parts of the 1990's, and they teamed up with Neal Schon (Bad English &
Journey), who originally only was meant to produce their debut album. He had so
much fun that he joined Hardline, and together with established musicians
Todd Jensen (bass, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper) and Deen Castronovo (drums, Bad
English) they recorded their famous debut album "Double Eclipse" in 1992, an
album many consider to be a milestone in melodic rock.
Things worked
well for some time with some very successful tours, but the band sadly broke up
in 1995 when Neal Schon re-started Journey. Seven years passed and out of
nowhere came album number two from
Hardline
simply entitled "II". Neal Schon had been replaced by John Ramos (Two Fires, The
Storm) and while not a bad effort at all I never felt they reached the same
levels as they did on their debut album.
Seven more
years has passed and the Gioeli brothers and John Ramos are ready to unleash
another melodic rock monster to the masses. Joining them is Michael T. Ross
(keyboards), Jamie Brown (bass) and Atma Anur (drums), and what a monster it has
turned out to be!
Amazing
hooklines, Johnny Gioeli's incredible voice - in my humble opinion his best work
ever, breathtaking ballads and the band's instrumental prowess make "Leaving the
End Open" a fantastic album packed with catchy and heartfelt rock songs.
"Leaving the
End Open" is all the way up there with their debut album, yes it is that good!
Rough, melodic and emotional in all the right places, the production is crystal
clear and warm, the artwork is awesome and all of the pieces fit together,
resulting in a brilliant album.
