One of Switzerland's finest returns with a new collection of tunes. The band has become more radio friendly in the past few years, but is still capable of some great songwriting. Early fans may not object to the more commercial direction the band has taken, but for fans of melodic AOR style music, this is some great stuff.
The album opens with a slight intro related to the front cover art and then starts into the uptempo track 'Everything can change'. The music is definitely catchy with great choruses and melodies. Remember the Andy Taylor classic 'Take it easy'?? The band covers this tune on the album and it sounds great. 'Light in your eyes' is a decent tune with some interesting talk box type guitar. The ballad 'Heaven' is very well written and instantly memorable. One of my favorites. If you like acoustic numbers, then 'Lonely People' will please. This tune is very melodic and memorable as well. 'Eagle' picks up the pace with some heavier moody elements. I really dig the vocals and choruses on this one. The crunchy guitar that fills in sounds great too. 'End of time' would have to be the groove rocker with it's interesting percussion and bass lines. Very catchy. 'Say Goodbye' leans to the lighter side. Steve Lee sings amazingly here as usual. 'Reason to Live' reminds me a lot of the late 80's era Whitesnake. There have been those comparisons to Whitesnake, but it really shows here in my opinion. 'Come along' is another uptempo tune that stays with the consistency of the album feel. The last track 'Homerun' is a decent closer. Kind of interesting when a band lands the title track of the album as the final. Listen close to this tune. There is a cool collage of tunes jammed into it. Not in medley form, but more of a look back. You'll see what I mean.
This album is great for melodic rock fans, but may not sit quit as well with fans of 'Dial Hard' and the debut. If you take the album at face value and accept it for what it is, you will probably like it quite a bit. It is definitely a continuation of the direction the band went on 'Open'. I enjoy listening to it and feel the band is good at whatever they attempt.
Phil Vincent may not be familiar to some, but he has generated a legion of fans in the AOR market. Phil can write a wide variety of tunes from ballads to all out rockers. He also handles all of the duties on the album including the mixing and production. In short, Phil is quite the music machine.
The album opens uptempo with the rocking yet melodic number 'Stand or Fall'. slowing thing a tad is 'Where do we go from here'. The tune is piano based and really allows Phil to spread his wings and soar. 'Cruel' immediately kicks you in the face. One of the heavier tracks on the disc. Gotta love the slow downs in the chorus. You'll feel like your on a roller coaster as you continue to listen to the album. We return to the lighter side with 'Illusion'. Lot's of emoton on this track. Check out the interesting arrangements on 'So sad'. One thing you'll notice is that the tunes aren't exactly predictable which enhances the listen. 'The hard way' has a great vibe with good use of vocals. Turning a little more crunchy is 'Life is a game' and continuing into 'Matter of time'. 'My life' has some elements that remind me of 'Abominog' era Uriah Heep. Changing up a bit is 'Long Night'. 'Changing faces' is classic hard rock with some interesting use of keyboards. Like this tune. 'Hard to say goodbye' gets back to that Uriah Heep sound mentioned a bit ago. I was a big fan of 'Abominog' and really like the approach taken on this album.
Phil has released a good effort in 'Tragic'. The able seems a bit nostalgic with some of the writing structure. Another mention is the good use of choruses. Vincent seems to have a way of getting the emotion injected into the song to add dimension. This disc is definitely worth checking out!
