For most bands, writing and recording original music is the lifeblood of their success. You can only play cover songs for so long if you want to make a living in the music industry. And taking that step from just being considered "weekend warriors" and playing music as a hobby, to becoming a standalone original recording artist is what separates a "pretender" from a "contender". So after a band pours its heart and soul into their original material, they can only hope that their fans will like what they've produced and, for the relatively few fortunate ones, more music will follow. Unfortunately, this was not the case for RAFF, an old school, hard rock band from Italy that never got to experience their name in the bright lights. After recording their debut album in 1983, only to have it put on the shelf before it ever got published, they hope that the second time is a charm.

Thanks to Jolly Roger Records, more than 30 years after it was originally scheduled to be released, RAFF are set to unleash their long-awaited, self-titled debut album to the masses. This offering was initially recorded under the album title "Gates of Fortune", but after going back in the studio in 2013 and re-recording all of the tracks (plus one bonus track), it is now labeled simply "Raff".

Consisting of  Chris Bianco on vocals and bass, Tony Arcuri on guitars, and Fabiano "Master" Bianco on drums, RAFF are a hard hitting, straight-forward rock n' roll band that sound like a mixture of KISS and MOLLY HATCHET, with a little bit of DOKKEN mixed in at times. While their sound could have been relevant back in the 80's, these 12 tracks have a really solid, modern day rock sound that powers through like a group of young guys trying to break big in the 2014 hard rock genre. I was shocked at the quality of hard rock that I heard from this release and wish these guys could have had their opportunity back in their youth. But don't feel sorry for them just yet. With a little bit of promotion and given the opportunity to play in front of larger crowds, these guys might just "give a go" still. If you're a fan of old school 80's hard rock, please do yourself a "solid" and check them out.