Longtime Kansas bass player and backup vocalist Billy Greer takes us into the time machine on The Raging Fire. Simply put, if you are/were a fan of Kansas and Journey in the '70's and '80's, The Raging Fire is a must purchase. Producer Mike Slamer's guitar work, particularly on "Always from the Heart", recalls the best work of Neal Schon (Journey, Bad English, HASS), and Terry Brock's backup vocals make this disc seem like the album Journey should have released after Frontiers.
"The Sun Will Rise" and "An Ocean Away" are reminders that just because a song sounds like classic rock, doesn't mean that all classic rock is dated. Both stand up well, offer an opportunity for singing along, and would fit in well on any classic rock format across the country (assuming they don't play the same eight songs every hour).
"Sin City" is slightly more in the prog vein, leaning toward Extreme or Queensryche, while "Run" has a Def Leppard feel with far superior vocals. It is no surprise that Greer's voice at times resembles Steve Walsh (Kansas) -- the two have toured together since 1986.
The Raging Fire serves notice that rock is not dead, and that it is not to be done by wannabe youngsters that act as a pale imitation of their predecessors. Seventh Key is the real deal, and should be treated as such. I do not wish for Kansas' demise, but it would be a great thing to see them tour with this band.
4.5 tocks
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