This American band is a hard rocking five-piece that exists since 1996. After the release of an EP this is their second effort. While listening to Welcome To Paradise I realize I should listen more to classic hard rock albums because I hear all kinds of influences but I can't remember all the names of the sources. Well, that makes clear that this nine-song album is of interest for fans of those old classics with bold singing, blistering guitars and a thriving rhythm-section. A song like Marilyn brings back memories of Stryper though it's done in an original way and plentiful of leads. This song is one of my favorites. I've always been into this type of music so it's refreshing to hear this in a time when this sort of albums are scarce. The band is talented which is proved by skillful playing. Not all nine tracks are great but there's certainly stuff here that I like. If you're not into this style of music perhaps you like the hidden track which is more in the vein of punk rock, played live in studio (I think). Funny.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #78Reviewed by Doug Van PeltThese guys are cranking out melodic metal with a commercial bite. Remember bands like Ratt and Crossforce? These guys fit the bill. Speaking of Crossforce, Phil Castillo was their lead guitarist. He can skillfully play lead guitar, which matches the fine vocals of Dave Meriwether. Not many bands will venture in this territory anymore, and if they do, they better do it right. These guys sound like…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Justin JonesI have a feeling that anyone who still sports long hair, thinks John Schlitt is a hero, and can name all the 80's rock bands that ever smashed a guitar will like this album. Those of us that don't fit that category will be left twiddling our thumbs. This album is just too cheesy for my metal tastes, and left me wanting less of it, and more of something else. Imagine Petra meets Winger. That's…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by D_ListerLooking at this CD I first notice the words "Hard music for hard times" in the little spine section, and start to get a bit worried. After all most heavy bands don't use the word "hard" so I braced myself for something along the lines of older Petra or Rez. Turns out I should have been thinking along the lines of Holy Soldier or Guardian. These guys are definitely a throw back to the 80's, and I…Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by dEaDsMilEI will just start out this review by saying that groove-core is not my style of music. It never has been, but I haven't made up my mind to hate it or anything. In fact, this is in my opinion the best pure groove metal album I have ever heard, but again, I've never really been into groove so I have not heard much. This is a non-biased review, but my musical preferences may reflect on the rating…Similar sounding releases
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