With a hiatus of six years this multi national band returns with a new album and
leaves me behind a little bit disappointed. I have good memories of their 2007
album 'Dragonheart' and now that they have added one new member (Jason Bank on guitar)and
I was expecting a real heavy power metal album in Helloween style.
After the first song 'Livin in Paradise' I hoped that this was just a song in
which they tried out a different style. But no, the band turned away from power
metal and although there are some parts that remind of that period, American
groovy hard rock is what we get. If you like music from bands like Victory,
Gotthard, Skid Row, Bonfire, The Scorpions or even Guns 'n' Roses this new album
will be a real pleasure. Mike Tirelli is of course a very good vocalist and his
qualities really show on this album.
If you listen to this band for the first time, I can imagine that you will rate
this album very high, because the songwriting is very strong and a song like "Rescue
Anyone? Rescue Me" could have been on the debut album of the band Skintrade.
Faster songs like "Survivor" or 'Whisper a Prayer" are more my cup of tea, but
that doesn't mean that I don't like the other tracks. Getting used to their new
style a bit, I have to admit that this isn't a bad album at all and it will
probably be their most succesfull because there is a bigger audience for this
hard rock style.
For me they didn't have to change their style so drasticallly, but perhaps it is
the best step for the band to secure their future.
