ROUND-UP: MELODIC ROCK
Lionheart
Second Nature
lionheart formed in 1980, and their first six years were plagued by line-up instability and record label ineptitude, and also the misguided assumption that they were just another dodgy heavy metal band. But lionheart were weaned on classic north american hard rock, and the keyboard touches of guitarist steve mann sweetened the mix with delicious pomp.
second nature reintroduces the British band, reborn last year after an absence of three decades. linchpins Dennis stratton (formerly with iron maiden), mann, bassist rocky newton and drummer clive edwards are fronted by lee small (shy/ Phenomena/skyscraper), who reins in his sometimes all-too-obvious glenn Hughes influence to fit their sound like a glove. The album is a seamless mix of old yet unreleased gems and five tunes written since the reunion, while the band add their own fingerprints to chris De Burgh’s
Don’t Pay The Ferryman, and every Boy in Town previously recorded by NWOBHM cult heroes Taurus. The sound is lush and crisp, the hooks enticing and deep, the band’s quality unmistakable.
The lion roars again.
Degreed
Degreed
since 2005, stockholm natives Degreed have developed into masters of modern melodic hard rock, and this self-titled album comprises a collection of hardhitting, imaginatively-produced and utterly irresistible tunes. as the saying goes, it’s all killer, no filler, and before the end of 2017, within the group’s chosen genre there are likely to be few better songs than the brilliant Tomorrow.
Janet Gardner
Janet Gardner
if you’re expecting richard marx/Jeff Parisinspired pink fluffiness from this solo album by Vixen’s peroxide lead singer, look elsewhere. made in conjunction with guitarist, songwriter and producer Justin James, Janet gardner is a vehicle for what is often termed ‘modern rock’; big, chunky and immensely impersonal, with the ballad Best Friend being a rare beacon of familiarity.
7HY
For The Record
since releasing their debut album that featured many special guests, 7HY (seven Hard Years) have condensed to a duo of alan kelly (once the drummer with shy) and american singer shawn Pelata. For The
record sees the pair melding weighty nuggets of melodic hard rock with hummable choruses to establish a comfortable, persuasive formula.
moritz
About Time Too
a bit like london buses, you wait ages (in this case 24 years) for a moritz album and then three come along at once. co-founding guitarist greg Hart, who these days is busy with cats in space, doesn’t feature on about Time Too, although the likes of To The moon and
Back and Forever is stick closely to the band’s pure-aor blueprint.