by John Kindred
– Publisher —
Stryper’s Michael Sweet returns after his amazing solo album released in 2014, I’m Not Your Suicide, joining up with legendary shredder George Lynch (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken). The duo released the new album, Sweet & Lynch.
The initial idea for Sweet joining forces with Lynch to release this iconic album was suggested by the president of Frontiers Records, Serafino Perugino. Sweet then took the reigns as producer and co-wrote the music with Lynch. Additionally, bassist James Lomenzo (ex-Megedeth, Black Label Society, White Lion) and Brian Tichy (ex-Whitesnake) were signed on to round out the band.
The culmination of their efforts produced the 13-track Hard Rock album that tips its hat to the duo’s heritage, while creating new paths of musical exploration. With Sweet and Lynch, listeners are treated to the duo’s uncompromising desire to deliver amazing music, which appeals to their fans and showcases the amazing compositional and performance talents of the band,
Michael Sweet’s soaring heavenly vocals complement Lynch’s serpentine solos and dynamic riffs. If opposites attract, then the yin and yang of Sweet and Lynch are proof that those with ideological differences can work together and create an amazing collection of music.
Listening to the Sweet & Lynch album, one will observe that Sweet’s distinctive vocals and Lynch’s fretboard mayhem are present and fit together perfectly. The vocal melodies are a keen to Sweet’s solo efforts. Outside of Stryper, he has more room for creativity and exploration. And Lynch continues to hone his spacious swirling sound, encapsulating his legato-phrasing, arpeggiated single-note riffs, which are bonded to the blues, with emotional intrigue and Hard Rock with their edginess.
Sweet & Lynch provide the listener with music that is cohesive and dynamic. Each track perfectly fits together within the confines of the album. And this is done without repetition. Each song is its own entity and yet is piece of the whole. Fans were first treated to the video release of “September,” a tribute to that sad day in U.S. history, 9/11/01. While a great song, it didn’t tell the whole story of what was to come.
The other 12 songs are a revelation. With big choruses, plenty of hooks, melody, the music represents the best of Melodic Hard Rock. The production is brilliant, and all the instruments are balanced perfectly. The vocals lay in the mix right in the “sweet” spot; not to loud and clearly audible. Lavishly layered background vocals are a building block to each song. And if you are a fan of George Lynch, then the guitar work of the legendary axeman is inspiring, as always.
This is a complete album, representing the top talent in the music business today. Aged, shaken – not stirred – Sweet & Lynch is a rock-solid addition to anyone’s collection of music. Opening with “The Wish” and ending with “Only to Rise” the title track, fans are going to love Sweet & Lynch.
Genre: Hard Rock
Band:
Michael Sweet – lead vocals, guitars
George Lynch – lead guitars
James Lomenzo – bass guitar
Brian Tichy – drums
Track Listing:
1. The Wish
2. Like A Dying Rose
3. Love Stays
4. Time Will Tell
5. Rescue Me
6. Me Without You
7. Recover
8. Divine
9. September
10. Strength In Numbers
11. Hero-Zero
12. Only To Rise
Label: Frontiers Records
Web: https://www.facebook.com/SweetLynch
Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5/10
I disagree with the above comment. This album rocks. The album is top shelf hard rock, and the production, song placement, musianship, song writing and style makes album a smash hit in my book. Honestly, when the September video was released…I was disappointed. I didn’t like the song. But in the framework of the album, it becomes anthemic. It’s not really metal, how ever, it’s hard rock, edgy, beautifully melodic. This would have been a triple platinum release in the 80s. Sweets vocals are powerful and lynch’s playing, for the fan, fellow guitarist, and average rock fan covers all the bases and in fact showcase his virtuasity. There are 2 songs that had to grow on me, but they are good songs. I give it a solid 9/10, and that is because it floored me on first listen, and no recent release has impressed me this much in recent memory.
I am a massive fan of Michael Sweet, Stryper and George Lynch. The review of this new CD is off, this CD “stays in a slow rolling tempo” That is why this is a huge disappointment. Mike’s great voice and Brian’s drums are way up front and most of the guitar is layered in the background… WHAT!!!! You have two amazing gutar players in George Lynch & Micheal Sweet and it doest rip! I was expecting gutar sounds like “Kiss of death” “Mr Scary” ” Legacy” “Makes me want to sing” and more! the last track, #12 rips very nice. I expected track 12 to be the first song on the disc and get more crunch and harder as you went along. I agree it is a decent cd but suprised on 80% of cd has a slow rolling tempo. I give this cd a 7 out of 10 stars and a 3.5 out of 10 for heavy/crunchy gutars.