Pinnacle Point and Jerome Mazza Return With Blistering New Single "Weight of The World"

Escape Music has released a brand new single from the band Pinnacle Point. It is the first taste of their new album Symphony of Mind. Jerome Mazza has been called the heir to the Steve Walsh musical estate. His vocals are remarkably similar with a warmer feel. In addition, Mazza and guitarist Torben Enevoldsen have managed to capture a rockin' retro Kansas sound mixed with Deep Purple and Rush. The writing style is progressive and melodic at the same time. Listeners can sing these lyrics and be enveloped by some great vocal harmonies as they rock down the road with their windows down. I am certainly looking forward to the full album which drops on July 17th. Make sure you pre-order a copy.

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Wild Souls - Queen of My Heart (Album Review)

Hard rock and metal music can be found all over the world these days. Kavala Greece is a beautiful spot on planet earth and it is the home of Wild Souls. Their latest effort is called Queen of My Heart. Melodic hard rock with influences like Extreme, Poison, Van Halen and Whitesnake. The music has a real swagger. A real dose of self confidence.  

George Nikolaou handles lead vocals. Kostas Tsiligiris plays lead guitar. Michael Saraglou plays the drums. Athanasios Kalantzopolous plays guitar and Misconception Bdm plays bass. From the opening notes of "Nothing But Loving You" the band executes their plan perfectly. This feels like Motley Crue, and Van Halen and familiar primal urge territory. The chord changes aren't always predictable. There are melodic guitar fills and hooks that are big without being redundant or predictable. 

A searing guitar and drum attack begins "Night Groove" as the song rocks along like a train picking up speed. Nikolaou's vocals take on different characteristics for different songs. I heard some Gary Cherone here for sure. A synth keyboard and pulsating bass guitar open "Love Ain't No Lie" as if the band were paying homage to Bon Jovi's early hit "Runaway". "Ready To Rock" has some blues-metal overtones while reinstating that primal drum onslaught. 

This is music you crank loud with the top down in your vintage 70's muscle car. "Queen of My Heart" is a Vandenberg-like power ballad with string sounding keyboards and building acoustic and electric guitars. It's also a tune David Coverdale could have written. "Sexecellent" is exactly what you might think it's about. It's got some David Lee Roth swagger and lyrical references and a touch of "Panama" or "Drop Dead Legs" in it. 

The keyboards come back for "I Remember You". The band employs a thoughtful twin-guitar attack and at times some emotive vocal arrangements. These songs have instant appeal without being too derivative of one style. "Set Me Free" has a mono-bluesy intro and outro that echoes early Whitesnake. The body of the track is very reminiscent of "Love Ain't No Stranger" or something close to it. The guitar solo is a beautiful work of art. The retro keyboards are magical. 

One of my favorite tracks from this collection. "Snakebite" has a very Lynch Mob vibe to it as blues and rock collide. "Hold Me Tight" felt like a Stone Fury song with a less pompous vibe. A bit more straight ahead without the drama, but still with plenty of emotion. "Beyond The Stars" is very Blizzard of Oz with some fast guitar work and strong vocals and rocking chord progressions. Not to mention the drums and bass that chug along with abandon. "Street Eagles" opens with an actual eagle screech that then settles into a very moody and atmospheric hard rocking closer with big vocal refrains. 

It's arena rock that is designed to reach the cheap seats. It's all done with an ear for the classic characteristics of many different bands from the past. Each song has it's own unique qualities. This is a band that truly understands the past and is building on it. This is a fine collection of songs for old school fans of hard rock and metal.

Album Rating 9.5

Dennis DeYoung - 26 East Volume 1 (Album Review)

When the rock history books are revised someday, by people who revere decent music, musicians like Dennis DeYoung might finally get their due. DeYoung was banished from the band he made successful more than 20 years ago. He's also never been considered for the rock and roll of fame. He is actually part of a long list of tragic omissions that grows by the day. Dennis really had nothing left to prove. He's been touring as a solo act since he was forced to fight in court for some modicum of ownership of the thing he created. And in recent years, there's been a growing chorus of folks who believe Styx ought to have one last hurrah with the man who did the most to make their continued existence possible.

If it weren't for friend and fellow Chicagoan Jim Peterik, 26 East Volume 1 might have never been a reality. Peterik is another unheralded genius who also deserves Hall of Fame recognition. He was obviously an inspiration and sounding board for Dennis. These songs are both autobiographical and cathartic while dispelling the myth that DeYoung is only a schmaltzy balladeer. This is a diverse collection brimming with creativity, familiarity and the musings of a man who's still asking good questions.

"East of Midnight" opens things by sounding like a dead ringer for something Styx could have recorded in the late 1970's. August Zadra, who is the Tommy Shaw character on stage with Dennis's live band is ever present on this album, doing a better than Tommy version of Shaw. His vocal harmonies, along with almost-Journey front man Kevin Chalfant buoy the vocal textures of 26 East, giving it a luster that should appeal to the intellectually honest folks listening. "East of Midnight" is the perfect melding of prog-Styx and Dennis's nostalgia prone lyrics. Next comes one of the most surprising songs of DeYoung's solo career. Listening to the track, I was thinking how Dennis would have allowed "J.Y." James Young to handle the spoken word intro to the song if Styx was still in tact. DDY is not buying the news media these days. And people from all sides of the political spectrum can embrace his searing commentary. "With All Due Respect" contains a super charged unforgettable chorus along with a dirty guitar riff that sounds part Meat Loaf and part Alice Cooper. The song would likely get a thumbs down from the PMRC, the same idiots that came after Styx in the 1980's for alleged satanic lyrics and backward masking. The salty language is extremely appropriate given the subject matter.

"A Kingdom A Blaze" steps up the societal critique. General observations about politics and the environment, all spot on pertinent. The melody begins quietly and then explodes with DeYoung and Zadra blending their voices into a passionate refrain. The song is like Styx and Pink Floyd combined. "You My Love" is a beautiful ballad that feels very Paul McCartney with elements of early 60's radio fare. DeYoung's voice has held up remarkably well for a guy who is now 73 years old. "Run For The Roses" is a song about what is truly important. Do we seek material success or do we value family and the simple things in life? Kind of a timely song as the world slowly recovers from a pandemic. The chorus contains a large memorable hook followed by an old school guitar solo. "Damn That Dream" is another autobiographical track that examines insecurity and inferiority. Dennis composes yet another very large hook with Zadra providing more Styx-tones with his vocal fills. "Unbroken" has a more adult contemporary vibe that feels as radio ready as anything on this collection. Clearly this record was not just thrown together. DeYoung is still vocally nimble enough to hit low and high notes in the same song, adding real color and tone to these soundscapes. "The Promise of This Land" looks back at what we were all told growing up as Americans. The dream is real. This place is special. This is boomer talk at it's most optimistic. DeYoung believes in the promise, but is it still possible? The musical template alternates between progressive and pop. It's classic Dennis. There is hope that maybe we can rekindle. "To The Good Old Days" is a breathtaking post card featuring Julian Lennon on vocals. DeYoung caught the Beatles bug at a young age and this song likely fulfilled a need he had to pay homage to his heroes. Their voices work wonderfully and it's just great to hear Julian again. The 1990's more or less ended his radio presence after a strong run of albums. A.D. 2020 is a fitting outro. A reprise of the A.D. tracks on Styx's Paradise Theater album, using the same melody.

I am a biased reviewer. This would have to be a really bad album for me not to like it. I am a big fan of DeYoung. I think his former band mates owe him an apology and a larger share of their earnings. They owe the fans a reunion too. The material on 26 East Volume 1 validates the genius that is Dennis DeYoung. The arguments made against Dennis these days come from desperate souls in cyberspace who might be part of the angst and turmoil DeYoung is writing about in some of these songs. If this truly is a swan song, it's a loud, bold one that puts an exclamation point on a career that could have been far more active in recent years. What Dennis does on this album more than anything else is reaffirm the notion that he was the most important part of Styx. And keep in mind this is volume 1. Thankfully more music awaits before Dennis calls it a solo career.

Album Rating 10.0