The story in a nutshell goes something like this. Two European expatriates, British guitarist Will Wallner and Croatian vocalist Vivien Vain, combine forces in the City of Angels and after securing some serious big name musicians to help them realize their vision, they issue a kick ass nine track debut disc, that is an instant throwback to the glory days of vintage sounding classic rock and metal.
The impressive cast of support players will definitely pique the curiosity of any serious music fan as the all-star roster reads like a who's who of metal. The legendary Appice brothers, Vinny and Carmine handle all of the drum work, save for one track which is done by Brian Tichy (Whitesnake). Bass bass duties are covered by Rudy Sarzo, Tony Franklin and Jimmy Bain, and the keyboards by Tony Carey and Derek Sherinian. On paper you could almost put together revamped versions of Blue Murder and Rainbow with the names listed here. The only question marks is whether or not Wallner and Vain are able to hold up their end of the deal and deliver the goods in front of these seasoned veterans. Not to worry because the answer is a resounding YES!
After the opening instrumental "The Dream" which features some nice atmospheric keyboard work from Carey underneath Wallner's melodic leads, things quickly slam into high gear with the metallic crunch of "Dreamstealer". Highlighting Wallner's veritable arsenal of thick and meaty sounding guitar riffs amid Vain's soaring, leather soaked pipes, this track is the perfect introduction to what these two talented head bangers bring to the table. This track is also notable in that it reunites Bain and Carey, who haven't played together on record since Rainbow's Rising album. Moving straight into "Streets of Rage", another mid-paced barnburner, underscored by Franklin's pulsating bass work driving the rhythm section, Wallner steps to the forefront by serving up a heaping amount of heavy riffage and scorching leads. The same can be said for tracks "Fourteen Twenty Eight", "All That I Want" and the slightly more commercial approach taken on "Miles Ahead", all which feature truly sizzling performances from this dynamic duo overtop what is truly a stellar backing band. Although the magic wears off ever so slightly with "Soul Monster", which features Wallner stepping up to the mic to handle the vocals, the disc concludes in fine fashion with the one-two punch of the somewhat ironically titled instrumental "Rising" and the slamming closing track "Indestructible, both of which are once again accented nicely by Carey's trademark keyboard textures.
Will Wallner and Vivien Vain have definitely got talent to burn as there is not one ounce of filler to be found anywhere on this debut disc, which clocks in at just under forty minutes. You've got great melodic, yet heavy sounding tracks in which the two proudly pay tribute to their musical influences (Rainbow, Dio, Blue Murder etc...) and yet their own strong, distinctive, individual personalities are allowed to shine through as well. Highly recommended.
Track Listing
1) The Dream
2) Dreamstealer
3) Streets Of Rage
4) Fourteen Twenty Eight
5) All That I Want
6) Miles Ahead
7) Soul Monster
8) Rising
9) Indestructible
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