Frontiers Music s.r.l.
28 June 2024
Genre: Rock/Metal
Line Up:
Tracii Guns – Guitars
Michael Sweet – Vocals
Adam Hamilton – Drums
Mitch Davis – Bass
Tracklist:
1) Unbreakable
2) Steel Hearts
3) In Grace We’ll Find Our Name
4) Light Up the Skies
5) Rewind
6) Scream Out Loud
7) Winds of Fate
8) Beyond the Odds
9) Reclaim the Light
10) Where We Belong
11) Setting the Sail
Formed in 2019, the Southern Californian band comprises Mich Davis on bass, Adam Hamilton on drums, Tracii Guns on guitar, and Michael Sweet on vocals. The band was created as an ode to 80s rock music and the stylings of key musicians such as Ronnie James Dio, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Ozzy Osbourne, whom the group cites as their influences. This album is the second release by the group, following their debut album Evil and Divine in 2021. Even the title of the first album is a nod to the lyrics of Dio.
My first impression of the band is that there are elements that sound like a clean version of Steel Panther, which is understandable given Tracii’s origins with L.A. Guns and the hair metal scene.
The opening track “Unbreakable” commences with Sabbath-quality guitars followed by Sweet entering in a Dio-esque style before the vocals take on a more Bruce Dickinson characteristic. Throughout the track, the guitars are heavily distorted, adding to the tight drumming provided by Tracii’s former L.A. Guns bandmate, Hamilton. “Unbreakable” is available as a lyric video on YouTube and serves as the first single from the album.
When asked about the song, Michael Sweet had this to say: “‘Unbreakable’ is a raw, in-your-face track with a message of perseverance and never giving up. We all walk through the fire, and when we do, we come out refined and ‘Unbreakable’. It’s an honor to be working with Tracii and releasing music that’s powerful and meaningful.”
The second song, “Steel Hearts,” features an opening riff that would not feel out of place emanating from Dimebag’s Dimebolt in a Pantera song before Tracii is joined by traditional 80s-style vocals from Sweet.
In addition to the aforementioned influences, there are nods to more modern artists, such as the breakdown section of “In Grace We’ll Find Our Name,” which would sit comfortably on a Mastodon LP.
Tracks such as “Diary of a Madman” and “Beyond The Odds” pay homage to one of Tracii’s heroes, Randy Rhoads, while “Scream Out Loud” is another track in the Sabbath style. The Judas Priest-inspired “Winds of Fate” truly transports you back 40 years.
80s acoustic rock is represented in “Where We Belong” before the album finishes with the riff-heavy “Setting the Sail.”
If you enjoy a slower version of frontmen such as Bruce Dickinson and Ronnie James Dio combined with guitars typical of the aforementioned time period, then this album is for you.
Score: 6/10
Reviewed by: Dave Martin
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