These guys really manage to pull a classic hard rock sound into a metal styled territory. I'd say the quickest way to describe them would be "a combination of AC/DC and New Wave of British Heavy Metal." That comes pretty close to defining this album. The thing is, no matter how you classify it, this is meaty metal that is also quite catchy.
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Track by Track Review
Darker Shade of Gray
This calls to mind hair metal but with some serious AC/DC in the mix. It's a solid hard rocking metal tune. It's catchy and meaty at the same time.
Red Hot Flame There is still a lot of that AC/DC thing going on here, but in a lot of ways this makes me think of NWOBHM. It's another stomper. There is a blues rock thing here to some degree, too. That's best represented by the harmonica soloing.
Say What You Will
The riff that opens this is full on school rock and roll. As it works out there is even a bit of funk in the mix. This is smoking hot hard rock with enough crunch to land under metal. The break mid-track takes us into some decidedly technical type territory. The vocal hook on the chorus here has a definite power metal vibe. This is actually one of the strongest and most dynamic cuts on the whole disc.
All My Life
There is a lot more of a raunch and roll vibe to this cut. The tune is screaming hot, driving and a real powerhouse. The instrumental jam later in the track (well, there are some non-lyrical vocals) has some awesome guitar work and really rocks.
Go for a Ride
Another hard rocking number, this isn't on the same level as the songs we've heard thus far. It's still pretty awesome stuff, though. It has a smoking hot guitar solo and just plain stomps. It just doesn't grab the listener and hold on quite as well as the previous ones did.
Love Is Calling
The riff driving the title track is just so fierce. There is almost some punk rock in the mix on this tune. It's one that's very much in line with NWOBHM.
Singing a Song
Another hard rocker with a lot of classic tendencies, this even has some fusion in the mix. Yes, I'd still consider it metal, but it's perhaps a bit more mainstream hard rock than some of the others. It's a killer tune, though, and a great bit of variety.
