Is there smoke without fire out there, regarding new releases? I tried this specific CD solely due to the murmur being spread around mentioning some ...splendid melodic release in the vein of DANGER DANGER... etc. Truth is virtually all new CDs are ultra-promoted to be 'majestic', 'thrilling', 'once-in-a-lifetime' and so it goes. Well, in the MARCELLO/VESTRY case the descriptions tell, indeed, the right story.
Rob Marcello is no 'newbie'; the Swedish blonde guy cut his teeth by participating in Ron Keel's IRONHORSE, while he was also featured in the TWENTY 4 SEVEN project, along with RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer and ex-MOTLEY CRUE singer John Corabi. In addition, he has collaborated with Mike Vescera (OBSESSION, LOUDNESS, Y. Malmsteen) as well as being Andy Timmons' replacement in DANGER DANGER somewhere around 2004. I saw him performing with D2 two-three years ago and was impressed by his technique, while he was as in-your-face as possible where needed. Frank Vestry - on the other hand - is an artist I was not familiar with in prior. Did read in the Net he's collaborated with MANOWAR's original axeman Ross The Boss plus Jack Starr, so I was curious to see this match with Marcello.
Fireworks starts off in mid-pace drumming with some nice hardrockin' guitars and lots of melodies in its songparts. Vestry reminds me of DANGER DANGER's Ted Poley; was this the motive for Marcello to pick him up for this project, I wonder? Ready Or Not is a more 'groovy' American rocker, while All I Wanna Do Is U will probably bring in mind a mix of Monkey Business and Bang Bang with a more AOR-ish chorus. Marcello seems faultless, he definitely has it, his confidence is obvious and his sound is superb for these songs. Vestry's voice, in addition, lacks nothing for the genre. Sweet, mid-to-high pitched, he'll not let you down if you dig this D2-related stuff.
Gone goes 'west coast' passionate, featuring an ass-kicking solo by Rob. This, plus other songs, may bring TNT to mind, too (their mild side), or late SHY or SURVIVOR (Mk.II), to help you get a picture. Without You's multi-vocal themes will impress you (the verses step on the TOTO ideals), while Live Life brings on the DANGER DANGER trademark. The 'ballad' portion of the CD sneaks out with What You Mean; I never was 100% font of this tempo in melodic Rock albums (did dig mid or fast pace tunes more), still this is a good song overall.
Love Injection is my favourite one for the time; mid-tempo, harmonic, great AOR keys, Vestry looks as if he's unchained from love and Marcello's riffs/leads spit fire; a Swedish-pattern hymn. Gangster Of Love is not a bad song, but I do not thing it does fit that much in the CD's vibe. Would definitely live without it. One More Night wraps up the album in a tempo/mood relevant to BON JOVI's Wild In The Streets or DANGER DANGER's Rock America or the kind of fast-pace AOR songs that make your evening out a thrilling experience. Meaning: a brilliant track, perfect to sum it up to an excellent release, in general.
Produced by Bruno Ravel (handles the bass duties, too), the album has already been released in Japan (via Avalon/Marquee - features a 'bonus' acoustic version of Gone) and is due to cross Europe (via NL Distribution) in early June. So, followers of the American melodic Rock/AOR genre, did the description above fit your wants? Else: if you liked e.g. the WORK OF ART CD, well...this album is even better. Chase it an' grab it!