What would happened if someone decided to cross wires between 1990s
Frontline and 1980s Shy? And called themselves after the most important
Frontline album, "
State of Rock"? You don't have to question it any longer, because the resulting crossbreed is here to rock your
AOR world. The musicians that made up
Frontline have created a new band and dropped Tony Mills into the vocal spot, and the end combination speaks for itself.
State of Rock's
"A Point of Destiny" is an instant melodic rock classic, where the last few
Frontline albums were not.
Frontline has shed the spectacular beauty of gorgeous
AOR in their final few releases, but that fresh melodic heart has made a valiant return here. Sizzling guitars, bold expansive choruses, melody magic spun in the bridges, lots of crystal keyboards... it hits the heart strings and keeps the tempo bubbling. However, it runs along the ground in a more harder rock manner than
Frontline ever did, with the Bobby Boebel's guitars being brought more into the forefront. Tony Mills automatically colours anything he is associated with, due to the exceptionally unique high-pitched vocals. Here is as solid as ever, purring the lower registers and smashing through the upper registers with all the subtetely of an air raid siren sledgehammer. It's almost as if
Frontline has been reborn but with a new vocalist, and that really is basically what you have here.
"Black & Blue", "Without My Love", "Heartless Dreamer", they all kick the album in a high octane melodic fashion.
"Black & Blue" is pure uptempo
AOR with those ringing vocals and delightful rhythm guitars. Probably the best chorus of the disc can be found right here, as the synth circles in the background like a multi-coloured pinwheel.
"Without My Love" sweeps in the keyboards to stretch out the sound, but the simply sweet rhythm guitars stick to your mind like syrupy electric honey.
"Heartless Dreamer" breaks it down in an instrumental/vocal play along the middle section and is otherwise another thumper running along the midtempo route with envying smoothness. Mills has this absolutely lovely voice for ballads, so tortured, anguished and emotionally overwrought. This is milked to full extent on the soul basher
"Don't Make Me Cry". The acoustic provides texture and the guitar rhythms that empower the chorus are from the heart of the dark.
"Hanging in the Balance" could have been a B-side from "
State of Rock" (the
Frontline album, and if you rocked it up a bit) so how ironic is it that it turns up here under the
State of Rock band? Leaning heavily on the keys and a killer chorus, the guitars rip and squeal and everything falls into perfect balance. Keyboards and a few axe notes thrumming in the background open up
"Freedom". The urgency running under the core gives it a different twist, but it lacks that special something that has the other songs popping.
"Count Me Out" pours on the synth and tough, grittier guitars that make a delicious contrast to the high pitched voice of Mills. Another winning chorus here pretty much wraps this up as it doesn't do anything wildly off the path as the other tracks. However, that formula they have pounded out, it spins the song quite well from it.
"A Point of Destiny" comes tumbling out in a thicker, take charge manner. The guitars are laid on thick and the rhythm section thundering as the song takes to the epic anthemic wing. The soaring vocals take to the sky, high and bright, like the cold heat of the sun at its peak on a frozen afternoon. A bit of humour as the announcement of
"This is the guitar solo...okay?" right before the six string takes it's sizzling break. All pounding hard rock and
AOR embellishments,
"Friction" is chunky, metallic and another angle on the all-about love lyric design.
Not every track on this nine song disc is superb, although when its good, they are damn good. The biggest mark marring its ascension to perfection is how a couple of tracks kind of settle into the formula. While it is an undeniably entertaining one, some songs seem too similar for comfort. Of course you could hand Mills the phone book to sing and he would knock it out of the park, but surrounding him in a heavier
Frontline-like atmosphere is just the frosting on the proverbial melodic rock cake. So even listening to the lesser songs is a pure pleasure ride. The guitars are laid on in a large unrelenting manner, peeking out from every available space. Loose purring notes, dancing axe lightning, growling chunky rhythm riffs, solos that are crystalline piercing, it is loud, proud and in-your-face. The keyboards provide the lighter elements and
State of Rock just lives up to its name and a bit more.
"A Point of Destiny" is a finely tuned, lovingly produced album by veterans of the melodic hard rock game. Fans of Shy,
Evidence One and more importantly
Frontline (as it has been mentioned many times in this review) will find this to be a rare gem that fills the void that was left behind when those bands stepped from the spotlight or dropped out entirely.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Show all reviews by AlannaRatingsAlanna: 8/10Members: 8/10 - Average of 1 ratings.
Member ratings
This article has been shown 1864 times. Go to the
complete list.
