Radiant
Radiant
RADIANT is an AOR/Melodic Hard Rock from Germany and this is a review of their first full length, self-titled debut. It has all the hallmarks of the genre but Herbie must be commended for his performance. In essence, he sings his ass off; his vocals reminds me of a more melodic version of styles by AC/DC and ACCEPT. Markus Beck comes in a close second for this album's MVP, his exceptionally melodic bass shines through on each track. The opening track, "Yes I Am" includes the two doing their best and it's a good overview of what the rest of the band can offer too; there isn't any slouches on this album, musician wise.
"Silver Linings," is basically a Hard Rock ballad but the melodies between the lead guitar and bass are good enough that it transcends the potential cornball feel. In addition, the chorus is so goddamn catchy , reminding me a of a non-metal version of EDGUY. Despite the hokey lyrics, "You Rock," has riffs edged with a harder sound and backed by the solid foundation of Spalka's drums. Carsten's leads are melodic but with enough flare to give the song an additional boost of energy. However, the album is pretty front loaded with the best tracks being the first seven; after that, I also ran into some pacing issues most because there are just too many tracks on the album. There isn't really any bad tracks but having fourteen to choose from is a bit much. As such, jamming this album for four or five tracks at a time is good but I don't see myself or many others listening to the entire thing at once.
The band also plays it pretty safe for the most part; even as you go deeper in the album, you can pretty much expect the songs to play out about the same. With that said, the bottom half of the album does contain one of the best songs, "Paint the Grey." I felt the song had a really nice atmosphere, especially with the clean keyboards in the beginning. It is another ballad but it felt more sincere than "Silver Linings." and the guitars, especially towards the end, have a nice Metal edge to them which is hopefully something they will experiment more with in the future.
However, few complaints aside, this is an enjoyable rock and roll album. If you like this style or AOR/Melodic Hard Rock, this will be right up your alley because it is a solid album.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Radiant" Track-listing:
1. Yes I Am
2. I'm Alive
3. Silver Linings
4. You Rock
5. Dorian Gray
6. Forever One
7. Heroes
8. Liars
9. Not Worth After All
10. Paint The Grey
11. My Own Way
12. Should I Live With You
13. Life's Shadows
14. Hit The Night
Radiant Lineup:
Herbie Langhans - Lead Vocals
Flo Gottsleben - Rhythm Guitars
Carsten Stepanowicz - Lead Guitars
Markus Beck - Bass
Manni Spalka - Drums
More results...