The first thing you'll probably notice about Italy's Shining Fury – that is, after the bizarre and slightly disturbing sound of children singing on "Intro" – is that drummer and band founder Ross Lukather is one hell of a player. His unorthodox yet lethal beats are high in the mix on Last Sunrise, Shining Fury's debut, and they are never more over the top than on "Net Love," a song that opens gently but quickly becomes a battering ram on which Lukather keeps time over high-pitched singer Francesco Neretti's a cappella voice. Problem is, percussion dominates each and every song so much that most of these tracks go by in a blur, like a herd of galloping steeds running toward the light through a dark and ominous forest. Think early Rhapsody, but less adventurous.
An exception to all this is the chilling "Memories," which opens with a disturbing and profanity-laced argument between lovers set against an acoustic guitar soundscape before Neretti starts singing the lines, "Forgive my words, sorry/I remember your shining tears/You've hurt my face, doesn't matter/'Cause the biggest bleed is in my soul/Oh, I will live with your anger/Oh, I will live with my cry." It's a soaring ballad that's seems neither overwrought nor contrived, and it's about as low-key as Shining Fury gets.
The band saves its biggest surprise for last, however, closing Last Sunrise with an unexpectedly faithful version of Toto's "Rosanna." You've gotta hear it to believe it.
Track Listing
1) Intro (1:07)
2) Broken Hopes (3:19)
3) 060501 (4:23)
4) Sleepin' Coma (4:33)
5) Snake's Game (5:32)
6) Last Sunrise (4:54)
7) Memories (8:09)
8) Speed of Life (4:05)
9) Declaration of a Cheat (4:11)
10) Net Love (4:41)
11) Rosanna (5:12)
Running Time (50:09)
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