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Frontiers (2007)
With his Pride of Lions project, former Survivor keyboardist and songwriter Jim Peterik recreated the glory days of eighties AOR with no concession to 2000′s musical trends other than updated production values. As a result both their first two albums divided opinion between traditional and newer-minded fans of the genre.
Less than a year after his own solo album, Peterik and his now established band returned in 2007 with a third album which played to their established strengths after the more experimental ‘The Destiny Stone’, notably the vocal trade-off between Peterik’s gravel-voiced tones and the soaring flourishes of talented young vocalist Toby Hitchcock.
In fact he admitted to recreating the vibe of Survivor’s classic ‘Vital Signs’, and the brash opening duo of ‘Heaven And Earth’ and ‘Book Of Life’ (featuring a fine guitar solo from Mike Aquino), ‘Language Of The Heart’ with its anthemic bridge and chorus, and the frantic ‘Defying Gravity’ all have the strong choruses and dramatic flourishes associated with Peterik’s best work.
Likewise the ballads, ‘Love’s Eternal Flame’ and ‘Faithful Heart’, with a nod to Chicago, would have been made for 80′s film soundtracks.
So far so good, but the final three tracks lift the album into true classic territory. ‘Astonish You’ is a lush ballad in the mould of Raised On Radio-era Journey with a wonderful vocal performance from Hitchcock, ‘Tall Ships’ calls to mind Styx with its bubbling synthesisers and nautical analogy, and the seven minute ‘Turnaround’ sees Peterik, Hitchcock and even his sister Tori – who has inherited similar vocal gifts – wrap their tonsils round Aquino’s glorious guitar melody, with a nod to ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’.
Those looking for something new and fresh had better search elsewhere. But if like me, you still yearn for well played melodic rock that rouses the senses and speaks to the heart, this remains a masterpiece to rank with the old classics. *****
Review by Andy Nathan
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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