CROSSING RUBICON – Perfect Storm

As evidenced by the quality and musical diversity of Perfect Storm, the talented duo of John Bisaha and Cenk Eroglu have a great chemistry together and an abundance of good ideas. AOR, melodic rock, and hard rock are the ingredients in the mix, and I was taken a back at just how melodically gorgeous and classy this record is. The instantly memorable ‘Reason to Die’ and ‘Cry Me a River’ are begging to be performed live and the heartfelt epic ‘Never Again’ hits the melodic rock sweet spot while ‘Crash & Burn’ is bound to get some radio airplay. There are dazzling moments and stirring parts to be enjoyed and reveled in, and you can easily tell that the LP has been crafted by two seasoned veterans simply because it sounds so confident, focused, and full of character. Granted, I could have done without the annoying chorus to ‘Scar’ or the saccharine lyrics that occasionally rear their heads, but overall, this is an appealing, world-class offering that contains plenty of 80s hard rock/AOR inflections without sounding like a mere rehashing of old themes and motifs. It actually sounds fresh and invigorating. Recommended!