This latest offering from FREEDOM HAWK impressed me a lot. Their sound is very reminiscent of BLACK SABBATH, and this is most certainly not a bad thing. My fingers were drumming along to every track of "Holding On". If I could drive, this album would be perfect to take along with me on a long journey.

The first song, "Thunderfoot", starts off quite slowly with Morton's vocals hooking you in almost instantly. Then the guitars and drums move in for the kill to ensure that you are going to want to listen to the album the entire way through. "Holding On" is a very strong album, every song offering something different to the listener, but coming together as one to form a brilliant final package. The short interlude, "Zelda", is a break from the 'meatiness' of the rest of the album but it's nice. Every other song is based around awesome riffs, really showing off the quality of the fretwork.

Morton's vocals are very similar to Ozzy Osbourne's style, and although many people have tried this style before, his is the best I've heard. But that's not to say you'll listen to this and think 'oh, this is just a tribute to BLACK SABBATH' because T.R. still has a very distinctive and powerful voice. The guitar skills of Morton, Matt Cave and Mark Cave (the 2 Cave's are brothers) are very impressive, as is the quality of Lenny Hines's drumming. The four musicians come together very well to produce a sound that will remind you of the heyday of Hard Rock, with some soulful guitar work thrown in for good measure.

"Holding On" is an exceptionally good album and one that I would definitely recommend to anyone. There is a lot of talent on show here and it's obvious how much work went into producing this album. It's very unassuming, it doesn't try to be anything that it's not, and it's somewhat comforting that there is still a band out there that can produce an excellent Hard Rock offering.