Return to Glory
Wikked Star
From their Facebook page, they describe themselves as a "four-piece" Glam band from, where else...Los Angeles, CA. The album contains ten tracks, and the title track is the first. The vocalist has a pretty nice voice, and there is a healthy dose of keyboards as well. There is also a theme of longing that runs through the song. "Unleash the Fury" has a rougher riff and plenty of backing vocals. There are pig squeals, and the chorus will beg you to sing along. The lyrics are fairly cliche, but hey, it's Glam Metal, so what did you expect? "Ready or Not" features meaty bass notes and thick backing vocals. It's all about that chorus however, where the sound really come out.
"Full Moon Dance" opens with a wolf howling, and in come the keys and guitar. I like this song...it's meant to be fun, and it is quite catchy. A key change ushers in the guitar solo, and back come the wolf howls. "Never Fear the Unknown" is a mid-tempo song with strong vocal harmonies. The keyboards keep the longing sound alive. "Gods of War" is an infamous DEF LEPPARD song...I figured it was a cover but in fact it is not. It isn't particularly strong however...more of a filler if you will. "Frozen Heart" is as it is titled...a love song of sorts, where the lyrics key on a man who was hurt by his love, and now has lost all feeling. The album is starting to falter however, with two fillers in a row. Let's see how they can finish.
"The Long Road" is another mid-tempo song, which is beginning to weigh down the album. The chorus is fairly thin as well. I have mentioned many times before, that too many of these slow-paced songs can ruin an album. "Feel the Vibe" however turns things sound again, with an energetic number that could be a bit faster to really make its point. Things falter again at the chorus however, and the band attempts to stretch out the lyrics, which are too thin. "Love & Depression" closes the album. It's another slow-paced song where the band fails at stretching things out. It reminds me of Bilbo Baggins when he said that he feels "like butter, stretched over too much bread."
What started off as promising fell to the ground with too many slow-paced songs. They had all the right ingredients, but just began a downward spiral long before the finish line, and you could see the writing on the wall by the half-way point in the album, that they probably didn't have any surprises up their sleeve. This was a mediocre effort for me, with excellent production.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Return to Glory" Track-listing:
1. Return to Glory
2. Unleash the Fury
3. Ready or Not
4. Full Moon Dance
5. Never Fear the Unknown
6. Gods of War
7. Frozen Heart
8. The Long Road
9. Feel the Vibe
10. Love & Devotion
Wikked Star Lineup:
Unknown
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