JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13 – From the Fade

RELEASE YEAR: 2026
BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/JoelHoekstra13

Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Revolution Saints, Cher) is not only one of the hardest working musicians out there but also one of the most talented and productive that I can think of, and a brief glance at his impressive resume should tell you all you need to know about this skilled guitarist and songwriter. His three previous solo outputs have been absolutely superb with Running Games (2021) arguably being the best of the bunch, but his upcoming LP titled From the Fade, which once again boasts a fantastic line-up with plenty of pedigree, is a highly engaging, well-written, and perfectly layered slice of hard and heavy rock that serves up magnificent songs with lots of clever twists and turns to them with, heaps of atmosphere and raw emotion, and not least some strong, infectious hooks.

Hoekstra’s knack for balancing melodic sensibility with thunderous riffs is a high point of this release, and prime cuts such as “The Fall,” “Misunderstood,” and the two epics titled “All I’d Do” and “The End of Me” are startlingly impressive and brimming with an infectious energy. The latter track is almost Sabbath-like and would have fit nicely on Heaven and Hell’s The Devil You Know LP. Speaking of which, Vinny Appice (Heaven and Hell, Black Sabbath, DIO) add a striking sense of vim and vigor to the affair, and Girish Pradhan and Jeff Scott Soto conjure up some exhilarating vocal lines akin to earworms. Only the ballad-esque “Will You Remember Me” and “Free to Be” fail to deliver the emotive pull and quality of the other songs but are by no means lackluster.

When the line-up also includes Derek Sherinian (Black Country Communion) on keyboards and the legendary Tony Franklin (Jimmy Page, Blue Murder, Quiet Riot) on bass, it should be rather obvious to anyone out there that From the Fade is a must have.