Rez
Reach of Love
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Those who love what REZ does best--straight-ahead hard rock 'n' roll--will be glad REZ has returned to the kind of hook-ridden rock of the "HEAVEN AND HELL" era (like the song "Love Comes Down"). As usual, many of the songs tell a story of the pain and frustration of living in this fallen world, like "Numbers" (a tale of a vet who is just a number in a big system) and "Dead To The World" (about three people losin' the game of life 'til they died and rose with Christ and presently dead to the world). The riff here is a classic hard rock boogie-woogie jam. The title track is a chilling show-stopper that could jiggle a tear out of Eric Clapton. With a nice steel guitar lead sound, the lyrics about returning to the days of sensing the real love of God capture and amplify the emotions sought after by the words. The chorus is much lighter than the chilling classic "Shadows," but it's definitely a grabber. Some of the songs don't roll you over the edge energy-wise, but they beat the last few REZ releases in not tempting me to hit the fast-forward button or--even worse--that stop button. As a whole, it is one of the most consistent REZ albums. To be brutally honest--it's been a long time that I could sit down and listen to a REZ album in its entirety without getting disinterested. This one is a good listen all the way through.