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Artist: Toby Hitchcock |
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Frontiers
Records President Serafino Perugino certainly has the Midas touch when
it comes to putting artists together and his visions have in the past
produced some real Melodic Hard Rock gold. One
of the best Melodic Rock records of recent years was the W.E.T album,
which saw Jeff Scott Soto return to the fold with his collaboration with
famed producer and songwriter Erik Martensson. Now
in 2011 we see another master-stoke as Toby Hitchcock of Pride Of Lions
teams up with Martensson for what is without a doubt, THE Melodic/Hard
Rock album of the year so far and one that be hard to beat. The
album opens up with title track ‘This Is The Moment’ and from here
on in, you know you're listening to something quite special, as
Hitchcock unleashes that mighty vocal and Martensson delivers both
stunning guitars and bass lines.. Speaking
of great guitars, they don’t get any better than on the riff laden
‘Strong Enough’, featuring a stunning vocal from Hitchcock that is
equal to the mighty guitars of Martensson. After
the Hard Rock master-class of the first two songs it's time to bring the
tempo, but not the class, down a touch, with ‘How To Stop’, before
things continue with the epic feel of the stunning ‘Let Go’, which
just oozes class both from Hitchcock and Martensson. Maybe it’s
the added orchestrations or the added keyboard presence that makes this,
one of my many favourites tracks off the album. The
gentle ballad ‘One Day I’ll Stop Loving You’ shows Hitchcock’s
ability to deliver real power and grace in one tight package, before the
tempo is picked back up with the excellent rocker ’I Should Have
Said’. Again Martensson's guitar work is just stunning and this
mixed with Hitchcock’s powerful vocal, makes this one of my many
favourites off the album. The
fans of Hitchcock and Pride Of Lions will just love ‘If It’s To Be
(It’s Up To Me)', because this could have come off any Pride Of Lions
album and is another stunning piece of Melodic Rock, as is the more
mellower, but equally impressive, ‘Just Say Goodbye’. Another
of my personal favourites has to be ‘Summer Nights In Cabo’.
This one just builds and builds into an outstanding song with a big
chorus, a big keyboard presence and even bigger guitars, although it has
to be said, it’s those vocals that are the icing on the cake. The
tempo and feel are picked up once more with the Hard Rockin’
masterpiece that is ‘Tear Down The Barricade’. This is ballsy
Hard Rock and a track that I couldn't help but play over and over again,
it really is that impressive. The
album continues along its impressive path, bringing those rich melodies
to the forefront once more with the majestic riff fuelled ‘A Different
Drum’, before this tremendous album closes with ‘Mercury’s
Down’, again showing the heavier side of the album. A storming
end to one of the best albums of the year and one that will surely take
some beating. |
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Tracklisting: 1. This Is The Moment |
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