Album review: PETERIK-SCHERER – Risk Everything

Frontiers Records [Release date 17.04.15]

Founding Survivor member Jim Peterik returns with his latest project featuring his latest vocal find in Marc Scherer. “Risk Everything” was written specifically to suite the vocal talents of Scherer who he first met during the recording sessions for the last Pride of Lions album (featuring another of his vocal finds in one Toby Hitchcock).

After living with “Risk Everything” for a while now, the best description is to imagine classic Survivor songs sung by Dennis DeYoung of Styx fame. Marc Scherer sounds uncannily like the former Styx vocalist on several tracks here (Thee Crescendo for example).

Most of my initial concerns about the familiarity of some of the songs disappeared after a few listens…there are so many riffs, lyric extracts, refrains and keyboard flourishes that sound just like various Survivor songs…but hey nothing wrong with that…

Title track Risk Everything kicks things off with an extended intro featuring a weird backward guitar before turning into a classic Survivor-like tune.

No need to mention specific songs as you can guess what they sound like but safe to say they are a mixture of rockier numbers and big ballads featuring lots of emotive singing from the impressive Marc Scherer. The guitar sound is perfect…guitar use and solos are exactly where required and sound just like one Frankie Sullivan…

Broken Home breaks the mould a little as it features some female backing vocals courtesy of Shoshana Bean.

The one song that bugged me for a while was How Long Is A Moment…it sounded so familiar but I just couldn’t place it until it hit me…Open Arms by Journey (as covered by Dennis DeYoung of course)…a little bit of plagiarism going on here as well!

The cover artwork is a little different featuring a dung beetle pushing the Earth across a road…just avoiding being squished by an oncoming car…well I suppose he’s risking everything as well…

Apologies for all of the Survivor references but…well…this could be a long lost Survivor release…

Improves with every play but leaves you missing the classic Survivor even more! A perfect album if you miss the essential Jimi Jamison fronted “Vital Signs” era Survivor. ****½

Review by Phil Berisford

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