Talk about the wrong moment at a wrong time, yet eventually it didn't turn out to be a sob story. The tale surrounding the US Hard Rock / Heavy Metal band CHRISTILLOW is only a teardrop in a pool of "could have been" careers of bands that got lost in the void of the industry's change. Some of these bands didn't even have the chance to leave something behind for the history pages to document. Gladly that there are labels, such as Heaven & Hell Records right here, that would pick up the pieces and issue those drowned promises. CHRISTILLOW were one of those emerging late 80s band that found the true power hold of Hard Rock, in the age of the Glam Metal nation crossing the US. As a "could have been" band, they were supposed to get high up on the ladder, but were gunned down by the same industry that was interested in them due to shifting in the musical tastes towards Alternative and Grunge. I say too bad, as their package of demos, named "Standing In The Rain", had quite the potential to take them forward. However, the band was off the rails 4 years after its formation. Another victim of the industry. At least they kept to their own, and remained loyal to their music other than being a sellout.

Generally "Standing In The Rain" has almost the entire set of what a Hard Rock fan would want to hold on to. Whether the Heavy Metal burn al'a early eras of MOTLEY CRUE and DOKKEN, and on to the emotive affair of the latter that also induces a ray of AOR. The name of the game, as it had always been with these ends of Metal and Rock, meaning Catchiness, is right here before you. Sometimes slightly cheesy, but can also be pleasant enough to keep you hooked up. The heavier sections of the album, which I found the most appealing even if I have no beef with sweaty balladry, were quite impressive, a dangerous meeting of old British Metal with a late 80s US cutting edge sound and approach. Probably the reason why I think that "Turn Me Loose Tonight" and "What Goes Around" steadied this album, starting a punch and finishing strong. Furthermore, these stood tall thanks to the awesome guitaring playing of Kenne Mettler, which appeared to be quite the wizard tearing the strings.

Of course there were the ballads, and semi ones. Similar to other releases of the same manner, even those that got to become greater in the poll, there were the cheesy moments, too much sugar, plastic passion and less spice. Nevertheless, "Forever Gone" and "All I Want" played their part to the best of their merits, proving that there is a limit for how much grease one can take while showing the class in. It might be a shock to you, and even for me to some extent, but the album's total winner, which is an instrumental actually, was "Heaven's Gate". A kind of bliss that is immensely needed, to take a step back and just calm down on the spot. I am not saying make this one your ringtone, yet if you are looking for a softened moment, this is your chance.

Wrapping this one up, it started with a promise and ended in the gutters. Maybe with a better recording under a big time label, CHRISTILLOW could have sounded like a million bucks and rampaging the stages even till nowadays. At best we have the remains of "Standing In The Rain" as a reminder of how cruel the industry can be towards an artist.