Label: Escape Music
Review by Kimmo Toivonen
Remember Brighton Rock? The Canadian band that had their heyday in the late eighties, but have been sporadically active every now and then? The band's guitarist Greg Frasier has put together a new band called STORMFORCE, and if you like Brighton Rock there's a very good chance you'll like this album as well. Other members of the band are vocalist Patrick Gagliardi, drummer Brian Hamilton and bassist Mike Berardelli.
If I didn't know better, I'd be easily fooled to think that Stormforce is a young band with a deep admiration for all things eighties, such is the level of energy here. They've got razorsharp riffs and hooks, not to mention a few vintage sounding power ballads. Vocalist Patrick Gagliardi is a real find, not a soundalike to Brighton Rock's Gerry McGhee but he does have that similar "smooth & rough" quality to his voice. He'd be able to do justice to BR material should the band choose to play those songs live.
My favourites include the first single and opener "Because Of You", which is a fine, breezy melodic rocker, the metallic yet melodic "Age Of Fear", "Ringside" and "Breathe", which features Serena Pryne on guest vocals . The three ballads on the album are rather good too, with "Ember Rain" standing out. There are touches of Skid Row's "I Remember You" in the chorus, but not too much, just enough to make you... remember that song.
Halfway down the tracklist you'll find a few rather straightforward hard rockers, riff-driven steamrollers "Ride Like Hell", "Dirty Vegas" and "Marshall Law". They are all right, but not catchy enough to be among my top picks. No doubt they'll work better when the band blasts them out on a gig.
https://www.facebook.com/officialstormforce/
https://stormforce.ca/
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