The Defiants’ 2016 debut (review link) was a safe but enjoyable outing that did plenty to satisfy Danger Danger fans in the absence of any new material since 2009’s reunion record Revolve. Alongside vocalist Paul Laine, The Defiants comprise almost three quarters of the current D2 line-up: Bruno Ravel, Rob Marcello and Steve West (The Defiants’ slightly-less-than-official fourth member). Something of a melodic rock legend in his own right, Laine was the perfect fit for Danger Danger when they parted company with Ted Poley in the ‘90s and Zokusho (it’s Japanese for ‘sequel’) proves that there’s still plenty of songwriting chemistry bubbling away between Laine and Ravel in 2019.

Following a clean guitar intro from Rob Marcello, the band cut straight to the chase with the chunky rock of ‘Love Is The Killer’ which, with its who-ohs and fat keyboard flourishes, has a decidedly European flavour (think Dalton, think Treat). Laine is in sterling form for ‘Standing on the Edge’, which is similarly tough but sports an instantly singable chorus and the kind of easy groove absent from the band’s debut. ‘Hollywood in Headlights’ follows and dials up the melody a notch à la Blue Tears and everything is very much in order. It turns out though that these are simply the hors d’oeuvres; lying in wait at track four, ‘Falling For You’ is nothing short of feel-good pop-rock perfection, a song that holds its own alongside such vintage counterparts as ‘Dorianna’ or the sacred ‘Bang Bang’.

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After such a volley of gems, the rest of Zokusho really has its work cut out but there is still plenty to please, from the inevitable Def Leppardisms of ‘Hold On Tonite’ to the unusually reflective ‘It Goes Fast’ (spoiler alert: it’s not really about a car at all) through to ‘Stay’ and ‘Alive’ - just two more in a long line of songs that Messrs Sambora and Bon Jovi never quite wrote. More dispensable is the forced Judas Priestian metal of ‘Allnighter’ and the bar rock-by-numbers of ‘Drink Up!’ but such things are par for the course in the land of Metal du Poodle, as the French probably don’t say.

Amid a production that sometimes feels under-thought, there are some saving graces courtesy of Rob Marcello, who channels a Hardline-era Neal Schon for the intro to ‘U X’d My Heart’ and shamelessly flaunts his inner The Edge on the aforementioned ‘Alive’; it’s a shame the guitarist hasn’t been given more room to breathe like this across the record as a whole. His lead work, as ever, is deliciously Bill&Ted (yes, that’s an adjective) but he could arguably be more inventive with the riff and rhythm side of things. These are the only niggles that contribute to a sense that this record is just shy of being that rare thing: A Truly Essential Melodic Rock Album. That said, it’s a giant leap forward for The Defiants and Zokusho could well be the sort of sequel that seals the legend.

Review by Rich Barnard

Melodic Rock and AOR @RGM

Arjen Lucassen’s Supersonic Revolution - Golden Age Of Music (Album Review)

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.

Creye - II (Album Review)

Originally formed by guitarist Andreas Gullstrand back in 2015 Swedish melodic rockers Creye are back with (I’m gonna take a wild guess here) their second album. Since the release of their well-received debut in 2018, the band have gained a new singer in August Rauer and spent the majority of 2019 on the road honing their sound. The result is an impressive release that marries muscle with melody harking back to the likes of fellow Swedes Europe and Bad Habit while adding more than a hint of pop nous. RGM featured Creye late last year in our popular Hard Place feature and we thought a proper look at their latest album was well overdue.

Downes Braide Association (DBA) - Halcyon Hymns (Album Review)

Downes Braide Association aka DBA originally started as a collaborative studio project in 2012 between Christopher Braide a Brit working in the USA writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and with a host of rock and pop artists (Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears, Marc Almond) and keyboardist Geoffrey Downes of YES, Buggles and Asia fame. Eight years later and the duo had three albums under their belt while tentative forays into live performance in 2018 (resulting in a live record) and again in 2020 had proved successful. After the live shows in early 2020, Braide found himself in a bit of a funk when Marc Almond called and suggested he look at the possibility of a new DBA record to get the creative juices flowing. Braide delved into some musical ideas from Downes and inspiration struck immediately. Compositional ideas and snatches of melody quickly began to take shape and resulted is Halcyon Hymns, a record that perfectly captures feelings and memories of a time and a place when everything seemed so much simpler.

Cats In Space - Atlantis (Album Review)

UK rock sextet Cats In Space are back - in the biggest of ways - with their fourth studio album, Atlantis. Songwriter and guitarist Greg Hart promises that compared to previous outings, this LP “has more symphony” (a delightfully Spinal Tappian claim, making reference to the orchestrations by renowned arranger Mike Moran). While it remains a mystery as to whether or not it was recorded in Dobly, Atlantis is certainly the band’s most grandiose statement to date, as the band persist in indulging all the musical excesses of classic seventies rock (think Queen, think ELO), with no acknowledgement of the four full decades that have since passed. Of course, this sort of enterprise is the purest of love affairs and each of these songs has been crafted with the utmost care. Every guitar break, synth wig-out and quadruple-tracked vocal is era-perfect; this is the majesty of Rock, writ large.

The Defiants - Zokusho (Album Review)

Unruly Child - Big Blue World (Album Review)

Since reassembling their original five-piece line-up nearly ten years ago, Unruly Child have given us three top-notch slices of gently progressive AOR in the vein of their classic 1992 debut. Worlds Collide (2010) and Can’t Go Home (2017) were both put out by Frontiers while 2014’s Down The Rabbit Hole was independently released but all three albums showed a band that still has plenty to offer. Now, in their 27th year, the band return with Big Blue World. Marcie Free’s indestructible, made-for-rock voice has lost nothing and it’s this voice - along with Guy Allison’s upfront keys and Bruce Gowdy’s ability to fuse acoustic and electric guitar textures - that make Unruly Child so unmistakable.

Animal Drive - Back To The Roots EP (Album Review)

I’ve had an extended break from reviewing hard rock, although as a genre it remains my first love. There is a cynicism that comes with age and I simply struggle to get excited about most new releases. I find myself shaking my head (like the old man I am) and coming to the predictable but inevitable conclusion that they just don’t make rock records like they used to. I suspect that a similar sentiment was the starting point for Animal Drive’s new covers EP Back to the Roots.

Cats In Space - Daytrip To Narnia (Album Review)

The Cats In Space story is one of perseverance, refusing to give up in the face of adversity and sticking with what you know. The members of Cats In Space have been around, they’ve done the hard yards, put in the miles and it’s refreshing to see the acclaim that has been heaped on the band since they released their debut album ‘Too Many Gods’ in 2015. For their third studio album, the guys are refusing to rest on their laurels and seem intent on pushing the envelope. The result is ‘Daytrip To Narnia’ a record that should please longstanding Cats fans but might also leave a few scratching their heads.

Buckets Rebel Heart - 20 Good Summers (Album Review)

Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell might be a new name to some but the guitarist has played with plenty of notable names in a career that dates back to the 80’s. Colwell’s credits include being one of three guitarists in ASAP with Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden fame, key involvement as a songwriter/guitarist in the reformed Humble Pie on the 2002 ‘Back On Track’ album plus stints in many other acts including Samson, Urchin and The Entire Population Of Hackney.

Airrace - Untold Stories (Album Review)

Laurie Mansworth had already seen action with NWOBHM act More when in 1982 he decided on a more transatlantic musical approach for his next musical venture. The result was Airrace and a deal was quickly inked with Atco/Atlantic records for their debut album ‘Shaft Of Light’ produced by Beau Hill (Ratt, Streets, Kix). The 1984 release of the album was well received by press and fans alike, although the majority of the reviews did focus on teenage drummer Jason Bonham (Foreigner, Black Country Communion) for obvious reasons. This did the band a disservice as ‘Shaft Of Light’ had some fine tunes, a terrific singer in Keith Murrell (Mama’s Boys, Cliff Richard), Toby Sadler’s (GTS, Samson) tasteful keys and Mansworth’s punchy guitar contributions. The band toured with heavyweight acts such as Queen, Meat Loaf and AC/DC but by 1985 Airrace was over and the band members went their separate ways. In 2011 Mansworth, Murrell and bassist Jim Reid reformed as Airrace and signed a deal with Frontiers which resulted in ‘Back To The Start’ and a busy touring schedule before things again went a little quiet. Fast forward to 2018 and Airrace are back again with ‘Untold Stories’ as classy a piece of 70’s influenced AOR as you’ll hear this year.

FM - Atomic Generation (Album review)

It’s not easy being a heritage act like FM. Your fans want a nostalgia hit but they also want new releases. You’re trapped. You may want to move on, but you don’t dare go too far. Despite lacking the international successes of Def Leppard or - to a lesser degree - Thunder, FM remain one of the UK’s best-loved melodic hard rock bands and their new record is an impressive balancing act between that rock and that hard place. They might just be the one band on the scene that can manage to please nearly all of the people… nearly all of the time.

Satin - It's About Time (Album Review)

Every melodic rock fan with half a brain knows that there is no such thing as the perfect AOR album. From the late ‘70s through to the early ‘90s we were awash with perfect moments but, for the past two and a half decades, bands have matched the gems of that period with only very limited success. These days, making records is cheaper and faster; sonically sub-standard AOR albums arrive at an alarming rate and are all accompanied by unhelpful amounts of hype, so it’s no wonder that fans have become cynical about new releases. How refreshing it is, then, to come across an artist whose press makes no claim whatsoever and who has made an album that doesn’t sound as if it was cobbled together in a hurry. One-man freaky genius (he plays, sings, produces and mixes everything) Tom Satin quietly released his debut in 2014 and now the follow-up, It’s About Time, has arrived seemingly out of thin air. While it’s not perfect, I’d say it’s about as close as anyone has got in a very long time.