The
promotion sheet of a record company can be pretty exaggerated every
once in a while. But this is not the case with the one of the Belgian
band Frozen Rain: comparisons are drawn to Giant
and the Canadian band Boulevard, which doesn’t
exactly meet the musical direction. But this doesn’t diminish
the accomplishment of this project – for me the CD sounds more
like the Dutch bands 1st Avenue and Zinatra
with a bit of Toto thrown in occasionally.
Mastermind Kurt Vereecke has managed to create a
consistent whole, not an easy task taking into account the five different
lead vocalists. Beside Ollie Oldenburg (ex-Zinatra
frontman) all of these singers are virtually unknown, a fact that
should change quickly after listening to the performances on this
album. Help from famous guys was given by Tommy Denander
(of course!), Steve Newman and Jim Santos
(Norway). The listener will have a hard time finding any weak spots
– whereas there are many highlights. “Never Be
A Fool Again” is the blue print for a perfect AOR song
– the Toto-esque “Park Café”
is equally impressive.
Trusting that this record isn’t the last musical sign of life
by Frozen Rain I’m enjoying another spin of the disc. A very
hot contender for the best AOR album of the year together with the
phenomenal H.E.A.T. release.
Review by Andreas Höhn
Rating: 9/10 |
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