Hartmann - Out In The Cold (Retro Reviews)
This first in an occasional series for albums that you may have missed but are well worth tracking down.
Singer / songwriter / guitarist Oliver Hartmann was, up until the release of the CD, best known for his time in AT VANCE a German power metal act that he fronted for four albums. In 2005 he embarked on a solo career which would produce one of the best AOR / Melodic Rock albums of that year.
Out In The Cold is a really superb slab of melodic rock which manages to tread the fine line of adding a few more modern production touches to a traditional classic rock sound. The basic template finds a wall of solid guitars, huge backing vocals and clever use of string arrangements alongside excellent instrumentation. You really do get the feeling that time and thought went into each track. The production, courtesy of Hartmann and Sascha Path has a nice solid meaty feel which allows room for Hartmann to shine. He is a terrific singer who also handles all the guitars and some keys.
There are highlights aplenty here from the strident hard rock of opener Alive Again and the title track to the inspired choice of power ballad Brazen, originally recorded by Skunk Anansie. Brazen really is quite stunning with the passion in the vocal delivery an ideal match for the harsh lyric. Elsewhere What If I, a high tempo feel good track, with deceptively clever use of the backing vocals to drive a very catchy chorus. If you want ballads look no further than the sumptuous I Will Carry On and the epic Into The Light. While The Journey is another winner; the song has a very nice gentle cadence that compliments some of the other offerings here. In truth I could have highlighted any of the tracks here as the quality is so high.
If you can track down the Japanese release of the album it has the bonus track Rescue In My Arms an acoustic ballad that would have seemed out of place on the album but is a worthy addition.
Hartmann has continued to go from strength to strength since the release of this CD with his solo career and as a member of AVANTASIA and the all-star ROCK MEETS CLASSIC alongside Ian Gillan (Deep Purple), Jimi Jamison (Survivor) and Steve Lukather (Toto).
When you think of progressive rock/metal concept albums, one name springs instantly to mind, Arjen Lucassen. It could have all been so different for Lucassen, as his 1993 solo album, released under the Anthony moniker, ‘Pools Of Sorrow, Waves Of Joy’ was met with indifference by the record-buying public (finding a copy thirty years later will be a long and expensive search). Seemingly undaunted and already a hard rock veteran after stints in Bodine and Vengeance, Lucassen pushed on regardless, his determination resulting in a slew of projects that played a crucial role in revitalising the progressive rock/metal scene via releases under the Ayreon, Ambeon, Guilt Machine and Star One banners while still finding time for guest appearances and contributions to albums by leading lights of the scene such as Within Temptation and Avantasia. For this project, Lucassen has put his little black book of names to one side (Lucassen has enlisted many performers on his star-studded albums, especially singers) and settled on a band project, it’s still essentially a concept record in the Lucassen tradition, but he looks to be out to have a little fun, and the results are glorious.