{"id":47669,"date":"2015-01-07T12:08:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-07T17:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=47669"},"modified":"2015-07-14T19:25:16","modified_gmt":"2015-07-15T00:25:16","slug":"sweet-lynch-only-to-rise-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/sweet-lynch-only-to-rise-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet & Lynch | Only To Rise<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by John Kindred<\/span>
\n– Publisher —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"SweetStryper\u2019s Michael Sweet returns after his amazing solo album released in 2014, I\u2019m Not Your Suicide<\/em>, joining up with legendary shredder George Lynch (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken). The duo released the new album, Sweet & Lynch<\/em>. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The culmination of their efforts produced the 13-track Hard Rock album that tips its hat to the duo\u2019s heritage, while creating new paths of musical exploration. With Sweet and Lynch, listeners are treated to the duo\u2019s uncompromising desire to deliver amazing music, which appeals to their fans and showcases the amazing compositional and performance talents of the band, <\/p>\n

Michael Sweet\u2019s soaring heavenly vocals complement Lynch\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Listening to the Sweet & Lynch<\/em> album, one will observe that Sweet\u2019s distinctive vocals and Lynch\u2019s fretboard mayhem are present and fit together perfectly. The vocal melodies are a keen to Sweet\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n

Sweet & Lynch<\/em> 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 \u201cSeptember,\u201d a tribute to that sad day in U.S. history, 9\/11\/01. While a great song, it didn\u2019t tell the whole story of what was to come.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

This is a complete album, representing the top talent in the music business today. Aged, shaken \u2013 not stirred \u2013 Sweet & Lynch is a rock-solid addition to anyone\u2019s collection of music. Opening with \u201cThe Wish\u201d and ending with \u201cOnly to Rise\u201d the title track, fans are going to love Sweet & Lynch<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Genre: Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMichael Sweet \u2013 lead vocals, guitars
\nGeorge Lynch \u2013 lead guitars
\nJames Lomenzo \u2013 bass guitar
\nBrian Tichy \u2013 drums<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tThe Wish
\n2.\tLike A Dying Rose
\n3.\tLove Stays
\n4.\tTime Will Tell
\n5.\tRescue Me
\n6.\tMe Without You
\n7.\tRecover
\n8.\tDivine
\n9.\tSeptember
\n10.\tStrength In Numbers
\n11.\tHero-Zero
\n12.\tOnly To Rise<\/p>\n

Label: Frontiers Records<\/p>\n

Web: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SweetLynch<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by John Kindred – Publisher — Stryper\u2019s Michael Sweet returns after his amazing solo album released in 2014, I\u2019m Not Your Suicide, joining up with legendary shredder George Lynch (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken). The duo released […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[8651,2317,374,69,1103,9666,9200,10509,10508],"class_list":{"0":"post-47669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-brian-tichy","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-frontiers-records","11":"tag-george-lynch","12":"tag-hard-rock","13":"tag-james-lomenzo","14":"tag-michael-sweet","15":"tag-only-to-rise","16":"tag-sweet-lynch"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}