For those unfamiliar, Shadowman presents the union of four musicians already very well known on the UK rock circuit. The band combines the talents of FM vocalist Steve Overland and Heartland guitarist Steve Morris with the Thunder rhythm section – Chris Childs and Gary ‘Harry’ James on bass and drums respectively. Their fourth album, ‘Watching Over You’ sounds exactly as you’d expect for an album featuring those musicians, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The album begins with ‘Across The Universe’, which is a decent mid paced rocker. Its opening bars centre around a powerful drum arrangement from James, before settling into a punchy groove. Surprisingly, it’s not especially reliant on guitar riffs (though Morris throws in fills wherever he can); the main groove of the number is provided by a clavichord funkiness, which naturally gives things a 70s edge. An organ solo paves the way for Morris to deliver an understated guitar solo full of multi-tracked qualities. It’s a strong opening track, certainly. ‘Renegades’ swiftly follows and here Shadowman adopt a more straight ahead hard rock approach, where Morris gets to play the kind of riffs and solos he’d denied himself during the opener. Even though Overland’s vocals are strong and some other elements are enjoyable, it’s a noticeably weaker number in terms of song writing.

The first of the album’s truly standout moments is ‘Cry’, a huge bluesy power ballad. The vocals are strong, presenting Overland in good form, but it’s the other musicians whom really stand out, especially Steve Morris, whose guitar work is top-notch throughout, particularly both guitar solos which have a great tone. The second of these, coming at the close of the number is very subtle, as Morris lays down vibrato-edged notes sparingly over some excellent clean rhythms work. On the quiet moments, it’s also worth listening out for a few great bass runs from Childs – though due to the production values, he’s far too low in the mix.

With a shift away from hard rock towards the more AOR sound of the early FM albums, the semi-acoustic ‘Whatever It Takes’ has all the hallmarks of radio-friendly rock. The chorus is one of the album’s strongest despite having a very much by numbers quality and the use of backing vocals is effective. For the last chorus, Overland’s voice sings a lead over his own harmony vocals to predictable – yet still pleasing effect. ‘Whatever It Takes’ follows suit and even though it doesn’t offer any great musical difference, it’s a great example of melodic rock being played well with all of the necessary ingredients firmly in place. The pairing of FM’s Steve Overland and Heartland’s Steve Morris rarely sounds stronger than it does on these numbers. More semi-acoustic vibes provide the heart of ‘Heaven Waits’, but this time there’s a slightly darker tone which occasionally leans towards an eastern musical motif without embracing it fully. By the time Morris breaks into an almost Brian May inspired solo that’s full of chorus pedals, it’s obvious this number is a winner.

‘Are You Ready’ is a great mid-paced rocker, full of harmonies on its chorus. While the band sound great on this style of Bad Company inspired hard rock, there’s a gut feeling that says no matter how good Steve Overland’s delivery is here, Thunder’s Danny Bowes would absolutely wipe the floor with him vocally. A Thunder-esque vibe also runs through the swaggering rocker ‘Waiting For a Miracle’, a number which features a solid performance from Overland, a strong chorus and an another old fashioned organ solo.

While most of ‘Watching Over You’s twelve melodic rock songs are of a good quality – and certainly feature the musicians playing to their strengths – the album is let down somewhat by a thin, extremely trebly production sound. Throughout most of the disc, especially on the rockier numbers, most of Chris Childs’s bass playing barely registers, being drowned out by loud rhythm guitars and Overland’s equally loud vocal. However, if you’ve picked up the previous Shadowman albums prior to this one, you’ll certainly want this one too, although first time listeners may be wise to check out 2008’s slightly fuller sounding ‘Ghost in the Mirror’ first.

[You can catch Gary and Chris performing with Thunder at their one-off reunion at the High Voltage festival, Victoria Park, London – July 24th 2011]

April 2011

I first became aware of Greg Hart in the mid 90s when he teamed up with ex-Ya Ya vocalist Sam Blue and Airrace’s bassist Toby Sadler to form the short lived band GTS. Their debut release ‘Tracks From The Dustshelf’ contained a few great pieces of Brit AOR, though I have to confess, as good as the album may have been, I much preferred the unfussy approach of their original demo recordings. I backtracked and checked out one of Greg’s previous bands, If Only, subsequently finding myself completely underwhelmed, despite having read good reviews.

A few years previously, Hart was the guitarist with Moritz, a Brit-AOR band who were contemporaries of Airrace, FM and Virginia Wolf. They released a couple of self-released singles and played regular shows at London’s Marquee, but failed to gain any record label interest. Various Moritz recordings dating from between 1986-88 were belatedly issued on a compilation album, ‘City Streets’ in 2008.

Following the cult success of ‘City Streets’, the original members of Moritz – Pete Scallan (vocals), Greg Hart (guitars), Mike Nolan (guitars), Ian Edwards (bass) and Andy Stewart (keys) – decided to reunite. Augmented by Mick Neaves on drums, and delivered long after their heyday, ‘Undivided’ is the band’s first full album.
It may have been delivered over two decades later than planned, but fear not, this album features all the hallmarks of mid-80s melodic rock and the original Moritz sound, with no other influences creeping in. While musically, it’s still has much in common with Moritz of old, fans may notice that Pete Scallen’s vocals aren’t quite as strong as they once had been, now sounding a little rougher around the edges due to the ravages of time.

The title cut is one of the strongest examples of Moritz’s songcraft, as they combine a hard hitting riff with huge chorus vocals. The mid-paced stomping style shows obvious influences from Survivor and while the chorus could have been a little more interesting, big backing vocals lend its main hook plenty of punch. The mid-paced power ballad ‘Should’ve Been Gone’ is top notch, making good use of choppy guitars and very 80s keyboard sounds. It’s almost certainly something you’ll have heard time and again (and quite often on songs called ‘Don’t Walk Away’), but Moritz more than give it their best shot. While the production is a little homegrown and Pete Scallen’s lead vocal style isn’t quite as smooth as some, the overall arrangement is classic AOR, and the featured guitar solo is superb.

‘Who Do You Run To’ features another great chorus featuring harmony vocals from Jackie Bodimead (ex-Girlschool) and acoustic guitars overlaying the electric rock elements. Listen beyond the obvious hook and you’ll also notice that Andy Stewart’s piano work is rather busy, giving an already fairly cluttered number an extra layer; when all thrown together it works rather well. I wish I could be as enthusiastic about the album’s second power ballad ‘Can’t Stop The Angels’, which aside from a superb guitar solo, is incredibly stale. Scallen over-sings constantly throughout a rather cheesy number and as a result everything feels overdone. Swathes of keyboards open ‘World Keep Turning’ and continue to play a huge role as they pump their way through a great number which utilises the best elements of mid-80s melodic rock. It’s another number which brings a decent chorus and although it’s very by-numbers, it’s one which captures Moritz in good form. a great chorus. Against the keys, the rhythm section keep things grounded and the guitar riff is suitably crunchy. The hugely pompy ‘Power of the Music’ is also recommended listening, with its huge vocal arrangement and pumping bass, settling somewhere between Boston and Angel for a number which gives a knowing nod to AOR of the 1970s. Despite harbouring great feel good intentions, Scallan’s vocal style and a rather cutting solo make the track a little less smooth than its main influences, but overall, it’s a very tight performance.

Vibrato-led guitars step to the fore for ‘Can’t Get Away’ – the album’s only cover tune. Written by Laurence Archer, the song has a history, having first been demoed by Phil Lynott in 1984 (recordings of which exist in almost unlistenable quality). It appeared regularly in live sets by Lynott’s Grand Slam (of which Archer was a member), but did not get recorded properly until 1986, when it finally appeared on Archer’s 1986 solo release ‘LA’. Listening to that recording, it’s clearly a great song, but is marred somewhat by Archer’s woeful vocal performance – he growls and croaks his way through its four minutes, killing any spark it may have had. Thankfully, Moritz give ‘Can’t Get Away’ the kind of treatment it really deserves: the guitar fills during the verses are perfectly balanced by some top keyboard stabs and the guitar solos (Nolan and Hart, bother differing greatly in tone) are a definite high point. Scallen’s vocal performance runs rings around Archer’s, though undoubtedly, it still doesn’t have that charisma it could have had, if only Lynott had recorded a definitive version. It’s pure speculation, though. Although most of Moritz’s own songwriting is okay (barring the pretty ropey ‘Same But Different’), in terms of arrangement and hook, this track is a cut above – a really classy example of 80s melodic rock.

Aside from their take on ‘Can’t Get Away’, you won’t find anything here from Moritz that could hold a candle to ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’ or as infectious as the ‘Hearts On The Line’ demo from their ‘City Streets’ release. However, it still contains some decent – albeit old school – rock tunes. It features a few clunkers too, but when the album’s good, it hits its mark. On the negative side, it has the sound of a polished demo and there are more than a few occasions I really wished they had a different vocalist. It’s unlikely to make Moritz stars in the genuine sense, but for die-hard AOR buffs – particularly those who witnessed the band live back in the day – ‘Undivided’ is a welcome release. As good as this may be in places, though, we can only but wonder how much better Moritz would have sounded, had they been given the opportunity to record for a major label and get an album released back in ’87…

January 2011

‘Sign of Angels’ is the debut release by Norwegian born singer Issabell Oversveen, otherwise known as Issa (not to be confused with Jane Siberry’s alter-ego of the same name). It would be more than fair to say Issa’s voice is strong, but it isn’t remarkable by any means – you’ll certainly have encountered better female rock vocalists in the past… Combine that with the choice of album artwork and the fact that the record company press release talks about how “beautiful and sexy” Issa is before it attempts to state how talented she may be, it would suggest Frontiers Records may have been swayed somewhat by the Scandinavian blonde’s looks. Let’s hear it for equality in the 21st Century. That aside, with input from a team of song writers (including members of Hammerfall and Candlemass), the album itself delivers some great moments, which should be enough to please long-time fans of melodic rock, even when the end results are often workmanlike workwomanlike and a little predictable.

Combining staccato guitar work against slightly pompy keyboards, the verses of ‘I’m Alive’ present the song with a strong base, but it’s the huge chorus which makes it a winner. Simple, predictable, but suitably feel-good, it lifts the track considerably. Multi-tracked vocals lend a classic sound for a number which would have suited many of the melodic rock greats had it been written a decade earlier. The chorus of ‘Give Me a Sign’ offers a sweeping majesty and the rest of the number offers decent performances from all concerned, though it’s odd that Peter Huss wouldn’t take the opportunity for a guitar solo – especially given that there’s an almost perfect opportunity for one at the 2:20 mark.

The big power ballad, ‘Unbelievable’, sounds like a soft-metal version of Amanda Marshall. Here, Issa utilises the softer side of her vocal style during the verses, which makes for good contrast against all of the Euro-rock power-fisting elsewhere. Not that this track lacks an element of that, of course; in fact, its chorus is the very epitome of the great fist-clenched 80s style power ballads. Adding a choir of backing vocals takes things up a notch, but not in a way which upstages the lead – and that lead is one of Issa’s finest. ‘What Can I Do’ takes one of the album’s heaviest riffs and does very little with it. Despite best intentions, the plodding nature – complete with stabbing keys representing the sound of strings – provides a textbook example of Euro-metal. With a better chorus, there’s no reason it couldn’t have worked, but as it stands, it’s rather leaden. Similarly, ‘How Will I Know’ tries its hardest to be a decent rocker, but Tim Larsson’s keyboard work approaches similar sting-influenced territory. Here it’s much worse – interfering with what could have been a relatively good hard rock number. Featuring a very strong pre-chorus, this track promised so much, only to be let down by a slightly clumsy arrangement.

There seems little point in going into any greater detail regarding the rest of the songs, since there’s not a great amount of variety within the album’s twelve numbers. Depending on your personal viewpoint, that’ll either be the album’s greatest strength or eventually work to its detriment. On the whole, though, what you’ll get here are a bunch of (largely) unobjectionable songs with a few really great choruses on hand to give things a boost. For the diehard melodic rock fans, this’ll find a deserved place as collection filler. For the rest of you: if you’re starting to look beyond Journey, Survivor and Foreigner for similar undemanding rock thrills, there are a whole world of second division artists who deserve your attention before you even consider Issa as a contender, no matter how good parts of her debut may be.

November 2010

When the news came in early 2010 that vocalist Terry Brock was to re-join Strangeways, AOR fans were given a rather good reason to get excited. Brock’s previous releases with the band (1987’s ‘Native Sons’ and 1989’s ‘Walk In The Fire’) are considered cult classics and are maybe two of the finest examples of the genre (Kerrang! Magazine, in fact, voted the former one of the greatest AOR albums of all time, back when they cared about such things). After Brock’s departure, Strangeways carried on, with guitarist Ian Stewart taking on the role of vocalist in addition to his usual guitar based duties.

The next Strangeways releases (1994’s ‘And The Horse’ and 1997’s ‘Any Day Now’) moved away from the classic sounding AOR of the Brock years, opting for a voyage further into pomp and prog, with Stewart’s wandering guitar work becoming far more of a feature. Although the change in direction alienated some of the previous Strangeways fans, both albums are great in their field. Another album, ‘Gravitational Pull’ followed at the turn of the millennium, but still, most fans hankered after that “classic” approach to song writing and the stadium rock sound at which Strangeways had excelled in the late 80s.

In theory, Brock’s return should have brought with it a great album, especially considering the strength of his 2010 solo release ‘Diamond Blue’. Sadly, with ‘Perfect World’, this isn’t the case.  Some of the songs may be well constructed, but the album is so poorly recorded it makes it really hard to tell. The vocals are okay, but the rest of the band sound like they’re in another room. The drums are so quiet they barely exist, while Ian Stewart’s guitar work sounds almost woolly. Imagine something which sounds like you’re listening to your stereo while wearing ear-plugs. Even through great speakers it’s a sonic disaster…

Attempting to pick out any separation between the instruments is almost impossible, but it sounds as if the atmospheric ‘Crackin’ Up Baby’ finishes with a corker of a guitar solo (the kind Stewart filled the later Strangeways albums with), but it sounds like it was recorded underwater. ‘Liberty’ features a reasonably big chorus and a good performance from Brock, but the end result is compressed to absolute fuck. In ‘One More Day’ you have what should have been a classic mid-paced power ballad, but the (lack of) production values means it’s reduced to a plodding mess. As for the rockier numbers ‘Movin’ On’ and ‘Bushfire’, they’re no better. ‘Bushfire’ in particular is the audio equivalent of wading through treacle for a particularly uninspiring six minutes.  It’s all fuzzy noise and no edge.

Faced with such an appalling audio experience, as a listener, you’ll find any decent moments to be heard are almost completely lost in the swamp and attempting to pick out many standout moments seems like a waste of time. As one of the cult classic melodic rock bands, Strangeways deserves much better treatment than this. And frankly, being one of the best known AOR/melodic rock labels, Frontiers Records really needs to stop releasing demo quality material and passing it off as a finished product.

If you wanted a return to ‘Native Sons’ and ‘Walk In The Fire’ territory, honestly, you won’t get that here. Pick up Terry Brock’s ‘Diamond Blue’ instead: not only does it feature great songs, but it features a production value approximating something this kind of rock music deserves.

October 2010