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Birmingham, UK is the birthplace of many great metal bands and Redline is another hard rock / heavy metal project with big potential. I get strong vibes of old school heavy metal from these guys in the beginning of 'Vice'. Saxon, UFO, Judas Priest and Accept are obvious role models!

I find it very interesting with the twin guitars shredding and with a unique vocalist, who has a vocal tone like a younger copy of 'Mark Tornillo'. The intro song 'Battle Cry' is a killer song that surely will put a smile on the face of many NWOBHM fans. 'King of the Mountain' is written as a tribute to the Isle of Man TT Motorcycle Races and has been adopted as the official soundtrack for the event since 2009. The splendid song that ruined my idea of genre for Redline is 'Cold Silence', which is a magic melodic hard rock tune and is pointing in another direction than the previous songs. Guitar based track 'High Price to Pay' is a strong song with superb string riffs and melodic loops. Vocalist Kez Taylor handles both the raw heavy metal songs and the more melodic rock songs with the same perfection and sharpness.

I found my personal gems in the middle of 'Vice'. It is too uneven quality in a few songs on the disc for a super high score, but I like the mix and energy. The musicians are better than the songs and it gives me hope that it will be a subsequent album from Redline in a future.

Overall, I think Redline deserves a rating that lands higher than OK. Very enjoyable acquaintance!

Redline: Kez Taylor - vocals, Ade Yeomans - lead guitar, Mark Biddiscombe - drums, Steve Hill - bass and Steve Perry - rhythm guitar.

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