Artist: Outloud 
   Title: Outloud
   Label: Frontiers Records

Outloud is the brainchild of Firewind’s Bob Katsionis, who enlisted the skills of young guitarist Tony Kash after teaching him what he knows in 2004 and the seeds of the band were sown.  But it wasn’t until later that the pair sat down and came up with concept of the band, but they needed a first class vocalist to fulfill their dream and contacted Chandler Mogel.  The three then set about recording some tracks in Katsionis’s studio in Greece, but due to power out all those recordings were lost from Katsionis’s computer.

Not to be dishearten they decided to do it all over again, only this time they agreed not do the internet band thing and decided to go back to basics and get the band together in one place.  So they enlisted Jason Mercury for bass duties and Katsionis got his old friend  Mark Cross of Firewind to come in for the drums, at last the band was now complete and Outloud was born.

The band definitely have taken that old school hard rock sound and given it a more modern edge, which is amply brought out in the self-titled debut release, that will have you rocking from the first chord to the last.

The album is pure Hard Rock at its finest, as the opener ‘What I Need’ leads the way with Mogel’s vocals towering over the great licks from Katsionis and Kash and the superb back beat from Mercury and Cross driving the track on.

It's more of the same with ‘We Run’, great guitars leading the way on this one as the rhythm section breaks in leading the way for Mogel’s great hard rock vocal.

To say this album will impress the die hard rockers is an understatement, this is pure Hard Rock heaven as the album continues with ‘Tonight’, with the keyboards playing a more prominent role on this one.  Think back to Riot’s ‘Fire Down Under’ album for a taste of this one.

‘Search For The Truth’ again rocks big style before the beautiful ballad ‘This Broken Heart’ back in the day this one would be described as a power ballad. But one track that isn’t a ballad but is sheer hard rock power is ‘Breathing The Fire’ a riff spewn spectacle this is one of my favourites of the many on this album.

The rock just keeps pouring out of this album with the driven ‘Wild Life’ and the excellent ‘ Broken Sleep’ both great up tempo rockers, but my track of the album has to be ‘ Out In The Night’ a powerhouse track that will make you dust off your air-guitar and throw out some shapes of your own.

Things slow down once again with another sublime rock ballad this time ‘Lovesigh’ reaches out to your heart before the album closes as it started with an all out rocker entitled ‘Out Loud’ which ends a great debut release lets hope this BAND get some shows because I’m sure they will rock the roof of venues for sure.

Tracklisting:

1. What I Need
2.  We Run
3.  Tonight
4.  Search For Truth
5. This Broken Heart
6.  Breathing The Fire
7.  Wild Life
8.  Broken Sleep
9. Out In The Night
10.Lovesigh
11. Out Loud 

                  

 

All content copyright of The Mayfair Mall Zine unless otherwise stated.