Released By: Tribunal Records
Genre: AOR, Melodic Rock
Links : http://www.myspace.com/lof
Lineup:
Shawn Petala – Vocals
Nikki Dimage – Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Thomas Clark – Guitars
TRACKLIST:
1. It Takes Time
2. Obsession
3. Give Me All
4. I’ll Be The One Tonight
5. I Belong
6. The Fire Never Dies
7. I’m Crying For You
8. In The Stone
9. Undone
10. Ghost In Your Heart
I couldn’t believe that it had been five years since we last heard from LINE OF FIRE, as I could remember their first album quite vividly even though it definitely wasn’t a mind blowing release or anything out of ordinary. Who knows, maybe subconsciously I enjoyed that album more than I think I did. After listening to the band’s second album, the oddly titled MOMENTUM I hope this is the album that my brain locks in as it’s a massive improvement over their debut in each and every way.
Where the first one lacked the overall class of some other bands in the AOR and Melodic Rock genres, MOMENTUM is layered with it, and while the debut suffered from a lack of great songs, this album is filled with them and I’d say eight out of the ten tunes are worth keeping easily. The strong musician ship shown on MOMENTUM is another improvement, and the fact that they are a three-piece really leaves the music open without having too much going on at once like some Melodic Rock bands seem to have. Multi-instrumentalist NIKKI DIMAGE is no stranger to the scene, and it is clear that he has brought his expertise into LINE OF FIRE in which he plays guitar, bass and keyboards, contributes some awesome backing vocals and lends his hand in the songwriting department. That’s not to take anything away from the other two members of the band though as secondary guitarist THOMAS CLARK certainly has some chops and has a great guitar sound. Also the band’s vocalist SHAWN PELATA is probably one of the better AOR singers coming out of the USA at the moment. His voice reminds a lot of STEVE PERRY, but not so much to sound like an imitator.
The album kicks off with IT TAKES TIME, a song that was originally recorded by DIMAGE but has been given a new lease of life to great effect. The first true highlight is up next in OBSESSION, which reminds me of another great modern day melodic rock group FINAL FRONTIER, a comparison that rears it’s head several more times throughout the album. I’LL BE THE ONE TONIGHT is a bit of a ballad, but not a massive slow number. I BELONG takes the band right in the middle of JOURNEY territory, and is a song that any AOR band across the globe would be proud to have written. THE FIRE NEVER DIES is a more upbeat melodic rock that has all the makings of a classic. GHOST IN YOUR HEART closes the album in spectacular fashion and features the best vocals Shawn Pelata has ever recorded and is in fact, one of the band’s greatest achievements.
Any follower of modern day AOR and Melodic Rock groups will probably have already heard MOMENTUM, but for those that are yet to check it out go and have a listen right now because LINE OF FIRE have released one of the best AOR albums of the year and every serious collection should have a copy of it.
Written by ZeeZee
Rating: 9/10