Reverence
Steel City
Steel City was initially intended as a solo project by founder member Mike Floros, emerging from Youngstown Ohio “The Steel City”, the solo project then turned full circle into a band, with current members Roy Cathey & Anthony White (Cold Sweat), touring and studio musician Jason Cornwell (Eric Martin) with Tony Stahl on keyboards completing the line up. Their debut album “Fortress” was released in 2018 ,with the follow up “Mach II” released just a year later in 2019.2020 saw Steel city appear on The Monsters Of Rock Cruise before the pandemic. Now signed to Frontiers Music. Their influences include Europe, Winger & Kiss with that metal edge.
“Aint Dreamin''Bout You” just screams out nostalgia from that classic rock melody with the simple but effective “Whoa Whoa” chorus. ”Hammers Fallin” has some similar resemblance to Winger & Whitesnake the bass very prominent in the melody with some great guitar runs well balanced in the mix. ”No Angel” has big drums, infectious guitar riffs ,a great chorus with some smooth harmonies, ”Dizzy” is that nostalgic 80's fist pumping in the air track, great hair metal style track, melodic chorus very much Winger Influenced ,Roy Cathey in fine form vocally, with some great guitar work from Mike Floros ,which is also the case for “Walk Away” big guitars, big keyboards adding to the melody and structure of the track. ”B.A.N.K.” has a really heavy imploding guitar intro, which levels out into a well balanced rock track .”Midnight Dancer” is a fast paced affair again great riffs & hooks, more in the style of Europe but a little bit on the heavier side. ”Broken” is a great stadium/arena filler track ,a gem of a track ,the chorus soaring ,a track that the likes of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard should be releasing nowadays. ”Losing Control” is another Winger influenced in the melody ,the harmonies and guitar runs & riffs. ”Blinded” a slightly slower tempo but not a ballad by any means ,not been one of the stronger tracks for me on this album. ”Journey” the last track starts with a bell tolling, which feels a more personal track within the lyrics, about leaving a small town is the most slow paced track on the album, some good vocals ,ending this album,
“Reverence” is a solid offering from Steel City. The lyrics within the tracks are nothing complicated, easy listening with some simple ,short anthemic, catchy choruses. The guitar work from Mike Floros is really good, some great hooks, riffs & solos, solid vocals from Roy Cathey ,Tony Stahl ,Jason Cornwell & Anthony White all adding some strong rhythm & keyboard work to give that nostalgic 80's sound and influence. Worth a listen, a strong offering & third album from Steel City.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Reverence" Track-listing:
1.Ain't Dreamin' 'Bout You
2.Hammers Fallin'
2.No Angel
4.Dizzy
5.Walk Away
6.B.A.N.K.
7.Midnight Dancer
8.Broken
9.Losing Control
10.Blinded
11.The Journey
Steel City Lineup:
Roy Cathey – Lead Vocals
Mike Floros – Guitars
Tony Stahl – Keyboards
Jason Cornwell – Bass
Anthony White – Drums
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