RESURRECTION KINGS – Resurrection Kings

Quite a few people out there have labeled Resurrection Kings a super-group, which, frankly speaking, it is. A very good super-group, I might add. Why is that? Well, for one thing the group boasts Craig Goldy (DIO, Rough Cutt) on guitar, the legendary Vinny Appice (DIO, Black Sabbath, Last in Line) on drums, the talented Chas West (Tango Down, Red Dragon Cartel) on vocals, and Sean McNabb (Dokken, Great White) on bass. Do I really need to elaborate on how talented those guys are? Right, that is what I figured. On to the music then.

This self-titled debut album of theirs, which is out now on Frontiers Music, contains 11 tunes that are all well-written, memorable, and atmospheric. Musically speaking, we are talking melodic hard rock with a nicely solid groove to it. While the whole thing may be rooted in classic hard rock, it has a modern edge to it as well. The songs are dynamic and varied, and one can easily hear that Goldy is involved as he has a special way of crafting riffs and writing melodies. Who can forget the masterpiece that is «Dream Evil» by DIO? Actually, certain parts on «Resurrection Kings» remind me slightly of the aforementioned DIO classic, but in the overall perspective Resurrection Kings have more in common with bands such as Rainbow, Whitesnake, Foreigner, and even a bit of Nazareth here and there. Heck, even Journey and Deep Purple come to mind at times. That, however, is meant as a compliment. Make no mistake about that! The fact of the matter is that Resurrection Kings have written and created a coherent and cohesive hard rock album with a lot of good and catchy songs on it. I like West’s rich and dramatic voice while the rhythm section comprised of Appice and McNabb is incredibly tight. No complaints there whatsoever. The solos by Goldy are also awesome!

Although «Resurrection Kings» is neither original or innovative as such, it is quite refreshing to hear this type of music executed so well by a bunch of guys who know what they are doing. All the songs are good, but the album lacks one or two songs that are truly massive and anthem-like. I would have liked that, but then again; all the songs are good, just not monumental or brilliant. Either way, check this album out if (melodic and diverse) hard rock is your thing. This was definitely a nice surprise and one that I will keep listening to for a long time to come.

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