Back in 2008, Belgian rockers All I Know released their debut album ‘Vanity Kills’ via the less than imaginatively titled Melodic Rock Records. The record celebrated 80s sounds with aplomb. On tracks like ‘Turn Back Time’ and ‘I Wanna Rock You’, the band contrasted huge AOR harmonies with chunky guitars, but it was when leaning towards an even more commercial (but still retro) sound the material really came into its own. ‘Rain’, in particular sounded like a pitch perfect tribute to classic White Lion coupled with a more anthemic chorus hook, and ‘All Night Long’ served up bright sounding rock, with the accent firmly on the cheese. Years on, the best bits of the record sound like they inspired fellow Euro rockers like Cruzh and Stardust.
With that album becoming increasingly hard to find, it was reissued on the Melodic Rock Classics label in 2022, and renewed interest in All I Know saw the band touring with stalwarts FM before making a long overdue return to the recording studio.
The resultant EP, ‘Stiletto Nightmare’ cares not for fashion. It serves up four more slices of classic sounding melodic rock which will certainly appeal to fans of a big 80s sound. Opening with a pulsing rhythm and bright sounding keys, the lead track carries immediate hints of ‘Vital Signs’ era Survivor, and as the number blooms into a mid tempo rocker, its blend of US-centic AOR and Euro accents conveys a strong love for the genre. The use of a chunky guitar riff to cut through the pulse beat helps to balance out some shrill sounding keys and sounds great, but if anything really impresses here, its the lead break where Joris Van Poucke fills several bars with a flowing style that matches a 90s melodic rock mood, but comes dressed in slightly more bluesy tone. Factor in a massive chorus hook where All I Know really don’t skimp on the layered harmonies and this quickly becomes the kind of welcome return that could have been recorded at any point over the previous thirty five years.
Upping the ante, ‘As Long As The Night Goes On’ flaunts a flowing lead guitar with immediate effect, showing off more of Joris’s huge but melodic style, before the band set about sharing the most 80s sounding tune this side of 1992. As before, the vocal harmonies are massive; a welcome throwback to the AOR sounds of 1986. However, just as impressive is the way keys man David Goetheyn occasionally drops descending riffs between the mid tempo guitar chug. This shows off a really cheeky melodic touch, whilst Ward Dufraimont’s lead voice curls around everything with obvious ease. Hearing him harmonise with drummer Kurt Deramoudt not only highlights how well this band handles a classic AOR sound, but also how much better at it they are than 90% of the genre’s “bigger” signings for Frontiers Records at the time of release. It’s safe to say that if you still reach for a number of big haired rock albums from the 80s, you’ll love this.
Showing off the band’s slightly rockier side, the hard rhythm guitars and pumping bass that come together to provide the heart of ‘Playin’ With Fire’ capture something that wouldn’t feel too out of place on The Cult’s ‘Electric’ and ‘Sonic Temple’ albums. Not that All I Know are about to turn their backs on the AOR sound that has really worked for them up until this point… The chugging grooves are offset by moments of muted guitar and busy keys far more in keeping with a late 80s pop-rock influence, and the heavily layered vocals tap even further into a world of huge haired melodic rock. Of particular note here are the harmonies shared between Ward and second vocalist Veerle Vanrysselberghe. Their very different tones set up a strong dynamic, and Veerle’s input, especially, really helps All I Know’s AOR sound bristle more than most. Rounding out this release, the band have chosen to pay their respects to the past (and to a massive influence) by covering the early Bryan Adams number ‘Hidin’ From Love’. For those outside of the US/Canada who only came to Bryan via the multi-million selling ‘Reckless’ in ’84, this really shows how well he handled a purer AOR sound on his earlier work. All I Know do very little to change the arrangement in hand, but then, why should they? The opening barrage of stabbing keys is a perfect example of one of the genre’s key aspects, and the optimistic vocal suits this recording’s three vocalists perfectly. As with the previous track, Ward and Veerle’s voices compliment each other very well, and the rest of the band show off a really tight musical approach. Although this kind of rock might not seem too sophisticated to some – there’s a lot of snobbery regarding these retro, very 80s sounds – there’s little doubt that All I Know handle their chosen genre brilliantly.
Although this material doesn’t quite reach melodic rock’s top tier of Survivor, Aldo Nova, and Aviator works from the genre’s heyday, everything here plays very professionally, and this EP sounds like something made with love. Had this been released in the mid 90s, there’s every chance the material would have spawned a full album and All I Know would’ve snapped up by the now sadly missed USG or MTM labels, but in 2024, it’ll have to make do with gaining its audience through streaming and some good old word of mouth. Fashionable or not, if you still love 80s style melodic rock, there’s definitely plenty here that will be of interest – and any AOR band choosing to cover a pre-’Reckless’ Bryan Adams cut certainly knows what their audience wants!
August 2024