Released by: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Released by: 26 April 2019

Line Up:

Johnny Gioeli: Vocals
Alessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Mario Percudani: Guitar
Marco Di Salvia:Drums
Anna Portalupi: Bass

Tracklist:

1.Place To Call Home
2.Take A Chance
3.Helio’s Sun
4.Page Of Your Life
5.Out Of Time
6.Hold On To Right
7.Handful Of Sand
8.This Love
9.Story Of My Life
10.Who Wants To Live Forever
11.Chameleon
12.My Friend

Hardline is a band that initially benefitted from the addition of Neal Schon and Deen Castronova of Journey on their debut, but I wonder if (Schon in particular) that has become kind of a hindrance for them? The pair only appeared on the first album which saw some moderate success, but nothing major, and then just like that they both took off leaving Hardline a band without name recognition in the band. Granted it was the pairing of the Gioeli brothers (Johnny and Joey) that started the spark of getting them notoriety on the Sunset Strip, but it seems like the Journeymen really helped propel them. And that has been a terrible injustice as when the Gioeli brothers returned after a 10-year hiatus, and even since Joey’s departure to this day, Hardline has released material as awesome as that first one, if not surpassing it in some cases. Johnny is the last remaining person from that first album, but with a voice as powerful as his it has easily kept the Hardline name alive.

The sixth studio album, Life, hails back to the Double Eclipse debut with its melodic hard rock, yet it doesn’t stray at all from the legacy the band has built from the albums in between. Having said that, they are on a definite juggernaut as the previous album, Human Nature, was a fantastic album too. As for Life, it is a melodic Hard Rock album that has the band sounding better than ever. Gioeli is one of those singers that seems to get better with age. Last year saw the release of his first solo album, plus a cracking collaboration with Deen Castronova, and not to mention his continued work with Axel Rudi Pell- his voice is at its peak, and showing no signs of giving up any time soon. Obviously as the only remaining member of the band still around, his vocals tend to be the showcase, but he serves the song as opposed to his own needs vocally. He does precisely what the track needs without trying to showboat. He has a powerful delivery and tack that onto a great set of songs like “Hold On To Right,” “Place To Call Home,” “Handful of Sand,” and the impressive cover of the Queen classic “Who Wants To Live Forever” and you have an album that rivals the best of them.

If melodic Hard Rock ever became en vogue again, Hardline could easily ride that wave to the top. Sadly, no matter how many great albums come out from this type of band they’re often missed by a large cross-section of the music listening population. If there was a way to get this music out to the masses better (outside of what I’m doing now) I would do it. So many amazing bands are left in the shadows by such inferior music. Hardline’s Life should be a massive hit. Let’s see if we can make that happen.

Written by: Chris Martin

Ratings: 9/10