WISHING WELL – Chasing Rainbows

Wishing Well is a Finnish (melodic) hard rock ensemble that sounds pretty inspired by the timeless giants of old such as Rainbow, Deep Purple, MSG, early Whitesnake, the «Heaven and Hell» record by the mighty Black Sabbath, and so on and so forth. Heck, even the first couple of Iron Maiden classics come to mind in places due to the way in which the riffs and melodies are crafted. I could go on, but you know the drill.

«Chasing Rainbows» consists of nine tunes, one of which («Hippie Heart Gypsy Soul») actually features the legendary Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, MSG, Alcatrazz) on vocals. Quite the scoop, but the fact of the matter is that the song actually rules and clearly stands out on the album. Bonnet has not lost a step and towers high above the majority of other vocalists out there. Fuck yes, Bonnet rules! Vocalist Peter James Goodman is decent, but, frankly speaking, his voice does not quite do it for me. It never really makes the hair on my arms and back stand up, which is a bit of a shame. These guys clearly know how to handle their instruments, but even after repeated listens it still feels as if they are somehow holding back. The intensity and energy are lacking. The folky and experimental «I`ll Never let You Go» is one of the best songs off the album along with the vibrant title track and the aforementioned « Hippie Heart Gypsy Soul». I should probably point out that I like the sound and production of the album as it sounds organic and old-school, which is definitely appropriate for music that is rooted in 70s and 80s inspired hard rock.

On the whole, «Chasing Rainbows» is not a bad album, but it is a bit too uneven, and the band simply sounds uninspired in places. On the other hand, there are some great riffs and melodies on display throughout the album, and there is a lot of variety present in the sense that the songs differ in terms of pace and atmosphere. I guess I just expected more given the quality of the single featuring Graham Bonnet that came out back in January. Either way, if classic hard rock is your thing then you might give Wishing Well a chance. Perhaps it will appeal more to you than it did to me?

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