Talon | III

by Mark Allen
Staff Writer –

Talon want to sink their claws into your cochlea with their crunchy, chock-full-o’-hooks brand of melodic hard rock and this latest album is probably good enough to satisfy the easy-to-please segment of the genre demographic. But fussier fans who foist the opinion that melodic hard rock should be something more than standard issue may find that the average-ness of most of the tracks means they cannot muster more than minimal interest.

Talon continue their pattern of revolving door vocalists; for this outing, Shawn Pelata (Line of Fire) manhandles the microphone and gives a marvelous performance that is all attitude in the lower register and consummate skill on the high notes. His vocal prowess is complemented by the angelic axe-work, the thickly layered guitars sporting a gleaming edge like a polished razor blade, never losing sight of the melody for even a microsecond. Showing that he is not estupido in the studio, producer Ty Sims (Bombay Black, Far Cry) is wise enough to emphasize this serious six-string sizzle. The powerful one-two punch of the guitars and vocals is almost enough to compensate for the album’s shortcomings. Almost.

Adding class and clout to the album is the guest appearance of the legendary Jeff Scott Soto on the song “Take You All the Way,” which is easily one of the standout tracks and sounds strikingly similar to other Soto-fronted projects such as Takara or Talisman. In other words, if you like slick melodic rock structured around a sharp hook, catchy chorus, and big backing vocals, then you may want to stuff a handful of Kleenex down the front of your pants to soak up any visible sign of your sonic satisfaction.

Unfortunately, not all of the songs are of this high quality level and far too often the album threatens to collapse under the weight of mediocrity overload, particularly in the chorus department. Within the parameters of the melodic rock genre, you live and die by the strength of your hooks, and while none of the hooks on this release are terrible, few of them rise above basic boilerplate level. This is hard rock tragedy, because the smoking guitars and powerful vocals of Pelata deserve better than to be hobbled by an over reliance on formula.

Thankfully, this detraction does not apply to all tracks; there are several excellent songs that any true-blooded melodic hard rock enthusiast should have in their collection. First among these would be “Did You Have To Say,” a mid-tempo tune that slides along on subdued guitars and subtle keyboards before building to a catchy, harmony-heaped chorus. Next up is “Everytime,” which cranks along with fiery guitar acrobatics accented by a pounding back beat and punchy chorus that again features the slick harmonies of which the band is so fond. Rounding out the top tier trilogy is “You Got What It Takes,” and this song has got what it takes to get your head banging and your foot tapping thanks to its badass riff and stop-start rhythm.

Talon remain a reliable but mostly unremarkable melodic hard rock band. If you enjoyed past Talon efforts, you’ll enjoy this one as well, but the lopsided filler-to-gem ratio that has plagued them in the past continues to plague them in the present. Even with great talent behind the microphone and guitars, the third time is definitely not the charm for Talon, but neither will you want to curse yourself for having picked it up.

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock

Band:
Shawn Pelata (lead and backing vocals)
Kory Voxen (rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar)
Jim Kee (lead guitar)
Phil Keller (bass guitar)
Eric Ragno (keyboards)
John Parker (drums)

Additional Musicians:
Erik Johnson (backing vocals)
Jeff Scott Soto (lead and backing vocals on “Take You All the Way”)

Track Listing
1. Crying to Me
2. The Last Time
3. Did You Have To Say
4. Everytime
5. Take You All the Way (featuring Jeff Scott Soto)
6. Maybe One Day
7. You Don’t Know Me At All
8. Walk Away
9. Brothers
10. When Will I
11. You Got What It Takes
12. Jane (Starship cover)

Webpage: www.reverbnation.com/talonofficial

Label: Escape Music

Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10

Line of Fire Momentum

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Momentum seems like an odd title for the second Line of Fire album. Momentum is exactly what the US-based melodic rock band lost in the five years since their well-received self-titled debut was released. Of course, the delay is understandable, given that guitarist/keyboardist/songwriter Nikki Dimage was sidelined for two years with cancer. Now healthy and once again focused on Line of Fire, Dimage and vocalist Shawn Pelata (recently active with Liberty n Justice) are back with another well written, brilliantly executed slice of melodic rock.

For those of you who missed the band’s debut, Line of Fire plays a brand of melodic rock that’s influenced by classic bands like Journey, Boston and Foreigner, but has a modern energy and precision that rivals European bands like Khymera and Brother Firetribe. The band seems to acknowledge their long absence up front, with the appropriately titled “It Takes Time,” which was originally recorded by Nikki Dimage’s 80s band Dimage. This was one of the better songs from Dimage’s It Takes Time collection, and it sounds even better with Pelata singing it. After that comes the very catchy “Obsession,” which is the album’s first single. The Street Talk-sounding ballad “Ghost In Your Heart” is another song that seems made for AOR radio. Of course, there aren’t many, if any, songs on Momentum that wouldn’t make great singles (well, not here in the US of course). The whole album is just packed with catchy melodies, great guitar hooks, and some very impressive vocals. Pelata sounds absolutely incredible here. His vocal range and control seem to have grown measurably since the debut, and he gives these songs an additional measure of both power and heart. The vocal harmonies in particular are just gorgeous. And if that weren’t enough, the album is impeccably produced, mixed and mastered.

Momentum is one of the absolute best melodic rock albums released this year, and proof positive that the Europeans don’t have a monopoly on high quality modern melodic rock. With any luck, the band will stay healthy and this album will prove successful enough to regain that lost momentum.

Note – The CD version of Momentum features an exclusive cover of Dokken’s “Breaking the Chains.” Line of Fire takes a stripped down, acoustic approach to the song, and the results are positively chilling.

Genre: Melodic Rock

Band:
Shawn Pelata (v)
Nikki Dimage (g) (b) (k) (v)
Thomas Clark (g)

Track Listing:
1. It Takes Time
2. Obsession
3. Give Me All
4. I’ll Be the One Tonight
5. I Belong
6. The Fire Never Dies
7. I’m Crying (For You)
8. In the Stone
9. Undone
10. Ghost In Your Heart
11. Breaking the Chains

Label: Tribunal

Website: www.myspace.com/LoF

Hardrock Haven rating: 9/10