VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS

Mk 2 Mascot

If you like solid mainstream rock, this will be right up your street. Dutch guitarist, Adrian Vandenberg is perhaps best known as Whitesnake’s late-80s six-stringer although he did front Vandenberg early in the decade. In 2013, he formed Vandenberg’s Moonkings featuring Jan Hoving on vocals and now the quartet has a second release, simply titled mk2. The music is rich rock-blues with the guitar work to the front, often with crunchy tones that are much more bluesy-rock than metal. Opener, Tightrope is big and dramatic sounding with chord intro hits and an infectious octave driven riff; deep into Whitesnake and Led Zeppelin territory here. The solo is short but big on punch; wide vibrato for the opening melody, pinch harmonics, pickup on-off stuttering, blues-rock bending and a touch of exotic mode legato. Angel In Black features sustaining tremolo arpeggios and a big rock chorus, complete with a stunning Coverdale-esque vocal. The atmospheric intro to The Fire features a clean and syncopated guitar before a rousing 70s style riff kicks in. Running at over seven minutes it’s the longest song on the album, complete with searing solo and blazing band ending. If there were any doubt to Vandenberg’s chops, album closer If You Can’t Handle The Heat is a must - two solos that blend great melodic content with a precision (what a wide vibrato!) that would make any rock fan’s jaw drop.