I told you not so long ago about 'Whitesnake' with the last album of 'Inglorious' and it is the turn of 'Joel Hoekstra', guitarist of 'Whitesnake' to release a second studio recording with his project 'Joel Hoekstra's 13', his first album 'Dying to Live' dating from 2015. And when we see the line-up, Joel doesn't is not surrounded by the less good artists of the hard-rock/metal scene since we find 'Derek Sherinian') on keyboards (ex 'Dream Theater' and now member of 'Sons Of Apollo'), singer 'Russell Allen' (among others 'Symphony X', 'Allen/Olzon' and 'Ayreon'), singer 'Jeff Scott Soto' in luxury backing vocals (among others 'W.E.T.', 'Octovision', 'Sons Of Apollo' but also in solo), bassist 'Tony Franklin' (among others 'Unruly Child' and 'Rob Moratti') and drummer 'Vinny Appice' (Among others 'Black Sabath', 'Dio', 'Tara Lynch' and 'Stagma') to which we can add the singer 'Chloe Lowery' of 'Trans-Siberian Orchestra'. In short, a cast of hell for a very good album between hard-rock and heavy metal which makes us scroll through titles all as catchy as each other with a sample of what we could do best in the fifty last years. Certainly, 'Joel Hoekstra' will not revolutionize the genre but listening to the powerful 'Finish Line' with sharp guitar riffs or the melodic 'I'm Gonna Lose It' with sounds of 'Rainbow' or 'Hard To Say Goodbye' with its catchy chorus taking us back to the 80s until the bonus track 'Lay Down Your Love' which has nothing to envy to the rest, we spend a wonderful time listening to this 'Running Games'. And when the rhythm softens, 'Joel Hoekstra' also has a gift for addictive mid-tempo compositions that are the melodic 'How Do You', 'Rech the Sky' with their chorus that begs to be taken up in choirs or 'Lonely Days', tagged melodic rock, or the classic hard-rock titles but so effective that are 'Heart Attack' and 'Fantasy' or the deceptive 'Cried Enough for You' who alternates a slow tempo of ballad with much faster parts, without forget the beautiful eponymous ballad of the album.
In short, this new baby of the guitarist of 'Whitesnake' is a very good album that we enjoy from the first to the last composition with addictive melodies in an energetic mood, all this being interpreted in a masterly way (but how could it could be otherwise with this beautiful bunch of artists!) and if you are fans of classic hard-rock through the ages, you can go there with your eyes closed, this 'Running Games' is for you... | |
