Sweet Lynch Only To Rise cd review
With both seeing a resurgence in the last couple of years with Sweet's solo cd " I'm Not Your Suicide " and Stryper's " No More Hell To Pay " and also Lynch's KXM project the time was right to work together.
Calling upon the outstanding rhythm team of Brian Tichy (Foreigner, Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Pride & Glory ,S.U.N.) on drums and James Lomenzo (White Lion, Megadeth, Lynch Mob,Slash's Snakepit, Dave Lee Roth ) on bass and Sweet Lynch were complete.
And that for me is the biggest compliment you can give this album is that it sounds like a band and the whole album has a real heavy natural groove to it that flows from track to track.
An excellent production lets all the instruments including Sweet's distinctive vocal to shine.
" The Wish " starts and ends on a haunting Lynch riff before a driving rhythm and riff and the first superb chorus. Sweet's vocal melody works perfectly with Lynch's picked guitar melody before the first of many exquisite Lynch solo's.
"Dying Rose " has plenty of extra Lynch guitar work. It starts with an extended solo and also between vocal lines that remind me of his 80's work with Dokken. All played alongside a heavy blues stomp showing the qualities of the Lomenzo/Tichy rhythm team.Some added keyboards only add to the depth of the song and a wonderful chorus tops of a killer of a song.
" Love Stays " is the albums' first slower song.Not really a ballad but a slower pace that builds to the chorus and some lovely Lynch extra guitar splashes again. Sweet excels with a melodic vocal before Lynch's picked solo really shows the man's star quality.
" Time Will Tell" has Tichy's drum rhythm at its heart before a huge multi layered chorus which is very reminiscent of Sweet's work with Stryper. After the guitar solo it finishes with a band tour de force ending with everyone fighting to get to the end of the song.
" Rescue Me " has a really hard rock Lynch riff with some superb Lomenzo bass work underpinning it alongside some Hammond organ depth. The guitar solo is played out with Lomenzo's bass and Tichy's cow bell all glorious in the background. Another huge chorus too.
" Me Without You " starts on a picked electric guitar melody and Sweet excelling on a haunting melody on a gentle ballad that picks up pace on Lynch's mid song riff and solo as the rhythm team join in hard.
" Recover " is a hard hitting bluesy rocker all riff and drum pattern that begs to played in the live setting. Sweet hits some real high notes mid chorus and the lengthy tapped guitar solo works well alongside Tichy's outstanding drumming.
"Divine" takes the pace down a notch with Lynch again leading the way with an early solo. Then a real stop start heavy riff and rhythm section that gets heads banging before a very melodic melody line on the chorus. Straight back to Lynch on a guitar solo of real quality.
" September " was the first glimpse of this band last year which was written in tribute to the tragedies that happened on September 11th, 2001 and shines on this driving rocker with a real passion in Sweet's vocal.
" Strength In Numbers " has a stop start keyboard and strings riff at its centre alongside some real big vocal harmonies and backing vocals.
" Hero-Zero" sees Tichy's drum patterns at the centre of this feel good rocker with Sweet's vocal in the chorus telling us " the hero is a zero he's just a highway man ". Brilliant.
" Only To Rise" sees the cd finish in style on a thumping drum and bass rhythm and driving guitar riff and Lynch adds more guitar flourishes on another song that deserves to be played live.
For a debut release this is top drawer and as I mentioned earlier this is band.
Sweet Lynch may be the names above the door and both excel but add to that the rhythm team of Tichy and Lomenzo who have produced a display of team work that is good as anything I have heard in many a year and you have a cd you need to hear.
Only To Rise is out on January 23rd 2015 in Europe and January 27th, 2015 in North America via Frontiers Music Srl.
