Released by: Rock Candy Records
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Hair Metal
Links: http://www.rockcandyrecords.co.uk
Line Up:
Mark Evans – vocals and guitar
Reggie Wu – guitar, keyboards and background vocals
Steven Parry – guitar and background vocals
G.G. Guidotti – bass and background vocals
David Rath – drums and percussion
Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Play Dirty
03. Skin To Skin
04. Find Another Way
05. Up Against The Wall
06. Hold On To Tonight
07. Can’t Catch Me
08. Bad Reputation
09. Daddy’s Little Girl
10. Is That All You Want?
11. Come Play The Game
12. Don’t Stop, Don’t Go
Who is to blame when you have a great high quality record being released on a major label, but somehow it doesn’t become the success it was destined for? Well, it happened to a lot of bands during the period 1987 – 1991 when US major labels signed nearly every band with a lot of hair.
The problem becomes inevitable with so many new releases in the market that a lot of acts are being overlooked and eventually dropped by the major labels due to poor sales. The problem in this period in the USA, which was the time between BON JOVI/EUROPE/DEF LEPPARD/MOTLEY CRUE hitting it big time and Grunge taking over, so somewhere during the late 80s/early 90s, too many average bands were signed (BULLET BOYS, D’MOLLS, EVERY MOTHER’S NIGHTMARE, ROXX GANG, etc. etc.) and they took away the possible breakthrough of the high quality acts that were on the same major labels (such as VALENTINE, SIGNAL, UNRULY CHILD, HEAVEN’S EDGE, MELIDIAN…). So many bands were dropped after just one album and now 20 years later most of these releases are being held as Classics in the Melodic Rock and AOR genre.
A fine example is the 1989 debut album of Pennsylvania based HEAVEN’S EDGE. These guys had it all and could have easily followed the footsteps of DOKKEN, WHITE LION and BON JOVI, but changes within their major label organization (COLUMBIA RECORDS) made it impossible to achieve their fifteen minutes of fame. They did record more stuff and played live like any other band, but eventually after Grunge had crushed into the musicworld it was all too late and the band gave up the ghost. Each of the members went their own way, doing either something completely different or continue doing music related business. HEAVEN’S EDGE however was over and left us 1 official album (not counting the band’s demo filled CD released by MTM/PERRIS during the 1990s).
That record has now been re-issued 21 years later onto CD by ROCK CANDY RECORDS, fully remastered and sounding picture perfect, also making you wonder what went wrong, because this band should have been massive and enjoy the same success as for example NELSON, WINGER, WARRANT, SLAUGHTER, TRIXTER and FIREHOUSE in and around 1990. Just listen to songs like “Find another way”, “Hold on tonight”, “Bad reputation” and “Come play the game” and you’re hooked forever, because this is Melodic Rock at it’s very best, sounding like a perfect cross between 80s DOKKEN, FIREHOUSE and early BON JOVI, with superb lead vocals.
As always, also this ROCK CANDY re-issue comes along with a 4,000 word essay about the making of the album, interview with band members, 3 kick-ass unreleased demo tracks and lots of rare pictures of the band in their ‘hair’ days, all spread out over a 16 page full colour booklet. Melodic (Hard) Rock is still very much alive nowadays, but if you listen to this HEAVEN’S EDGE album you will hear how much better it sounded some 20 years ago and who knows if it had been released a few years earlier, then this band might have been one of the big ones that would still be alive the present day.
Written by Gabor
Ratings Gabor 9/10
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