Artist: Planethard 
   Title: Crashed On Planet Hard
   Label: MusicBuyMail Records

I’m a firm believer in keeping the classic rock sound alive, but also bringing it kicking a screaming into the now and another band who also have this philosophy are Italian hard rockers Planethard, who deliver bring a hard and refreshing mix of old and new with their latest release ‘Crashed On Planet Hard’.

The band started out in 2004 as a cover band but decided to expand their repertoire and started writing their own material, and with this they soon release their first CD entitled 'So Good', which went down a storm.

When you here the vocals of frontman Marco Sivo it's clear why the band started off as cover band as this guy sound like so many different vocalist its scary, there are touches of Axl Rose, Seb Bach and Jon Bon Jovi in various songs on the album.

As the album gets underway with ‘You Know Who You Are’, it's clear the band have made the right decision to create their own sound as this opener is pure Hard Rock heaven from the off, with not only Sivo’s fine vocals, but also the great guitar work of Marco D’Andrea.

Keeping with the Hard Rockin' feel of the album things continue to impress with ‘Unchain My Heart’, another riff filled rocker with Sivo giving a damned good Axl Rose impression on this one, musically this one is very Dokken like but with a bigger guitar sound.

It's good time Rock n’ Roll all the way with the classic AOR soundings of ‘If I Want To Forget (Her Love), before the more gentle tones of ‘I’ll Be There’.  Again the band have gone for a more Melodic Rock edge on this one and again it’s the great vocals of Sivo that stand out on this one.

‘You Got That Fire’ brings things right back up again as D’Andrea gets this great rocker underway as Sivo lends that Axl feel the track.  Forget The Chinese Conspiracy, this is The Italian Intervention!

The album keeps the rock alive with ‘Without Words’ another great Hard Rock track, then again the tempo is brought down a touch with the excellent ballad ‘She’.  This is where Sivo puts his own stamp on the album as far as I’m concerned this is without his best vocal so far on the album, it's just Sivo and no other, great stuff.

Again its great feeling rock with ‘Everything’ another riff filled spectacular, then it's one of the tracks of the album for me ‘Kill Me (But First Kiss Me)', this one really gets the hairs on the back of my neck jumping with its rocking splendour and great soaring vocals.

This very impressive album closes all to premature for me but all good things must come to an end and so the album is rounded off with ‘Fairy Tale’, we get a chance to hear the piano of producer Alessandro Del Vecchio of Moonstone Project on this, another great ballad, which is the icing on the cake of a great album and one that will have tongues wagging in the Melodic and Hard communities for sure.

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