LABEL: AORHeaven
REVIEW BY: Alan Holloway
“We’re gonna rock you to life, we’re gonna rock you to
death!”. Blimey, Outloud certainly don’t hold back on their third album, with
opener “Death Rock” promising slaughter and resurrection in equal measure. Let’s
be frank, though, it’s not a million miles from the cheesy promise of the first
album, where they promised “We’ll Rock You To Hell & Back Again”. As
melodic rock bands go, Outloud take some beating in the bold statement
department, if nothing else.
It’s been a long three years since the band’s second album “Love
Catastrophe”, and in all honest it’s good to have them back. Outloud are as
unpretentious as you can get, nothing more than a great melodic rock band with
a talent for writing catchy tunes. As with the two previous releases, “Let’s Get
Serious” is a treasure trove of solid guitar and keyboard driven melodic rock
that will sneak under the radar whilst everyone is gushing over the new Brother
Firetribe album.
The undisputed star of the show is, unsurprisingly, Bob
Katsionis (he of Firewind fame, amongst others), who provides some stellar
keyboards and guitar work throughout (aided by guitarist Jim Scordillis). Close
behind is vocalist Chandler Mogel, whose clear, powerful vocals often have more
than a hint of Michael Sweet about them. This is never more apparent than on “Toy
Soldiers”, a genuinely heavy track that belts along and includes a blistering
solo from Adrenaline Mob’s Mike Orkando.
The big surprise on the album is kept until the end, as the
band launch into a cover of the OMD classic “Enola Gay” that really shouldn’t
work but ends up being rather fun, making you realize that the famous keyboard
riff sounds just as cool on guitar. It’s a fitting finale to an album with no
weak tracks (even the wimpy acoustic ballad “It Really Doesn’t Matter” has it’s
own charm). Good as it is, we’re not quite in the territory of five “R”s, but
this is a solid AOR album with everything to recommend about it, especially if
you’re a fan of either of the previous two Outloud releases. Time to get
serious…
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