Band:
Gary Hughes - Vocals, Guitars
John Halliwell - Guitars
Neil Fraser - Guitars
Paul Hodson - Keyboards & Programming
Mark Sumner - Bass Guitars
With Mark Zonder - Drums and Percussion
Discography:
X (1996)
The Name of the Rose (1996)
The Name of the Rose EP (1996)
The Robe (1997)
The Robe EP (1997)
You're In My Heart EP (1997)
Spellbound (1999)
Fear the Force EP (1999)
Babylon (2000)
Far Beyond the World (2001)
Return to Evermore (2004)
The Twilight Chronicles (2006)
Guests:
Additional guitars by Johnny Gibbons
Jason Thanos - backing vocals
Info
Dennis Ward - production
Luis Royo - cover art
Released 18/2-2011
Reviewed 26/1-2011
This album by Gary Hughes and his mates lasts for nearly one hour and contains ten tracks amongst which one is called Stormwarning. Musically it is melodic hardrock with mainly powerful choruses and a clean, polished production. Gary Hughes does not have quite the arketypical high pitched vocal style as the general mass of singers in the genre have, but not that far from it either though.
This album starts with a track called Endless Symphony which is such a track that you can sing along with even before you hear it as the melody is such an enhancement to the track. The piano pieces of that track is pure genius and this track is such a great lead into the album such an opener that gives you the high expectations that some albums manage to realise while others don’t. This album I think does that because as you get along to track five, the title track you have another really good track and as if that was not enough.
Track eight is a real smoker, a fantastic track called The Hourglass and the Landslide which is one of those rare tracks where everything falls into place and feel connected. This is one of those tracks that make you realise how good or rather how amazing melodic hardrock can be when it is done perfectly. The melody connects with the verse, the verse with the chorus and it all just is there with seamless transitions and a fantastic sing-along chorus, this just is a fantastic track which alone makes me want to revisit this album ever so often.
The track following that hourglass thing, called Destiny is another really good track, here it is mainly the guitar lines that impress and of course the beautiful melodies that are accompanying it.
Even if this record reaches close to an hour, it is still amazing to listen to much thanks to these tracks that I just mentioned which makes the real difference between the middle rating and a top rating which a five out of seven is. These hit songs spaced really well on the album manages to retain my interest for the entire time and makes this a record I want to select rather than feeling forced to play.
This album does show at times how melodic hardrock is supposed to sound, and in the opening track Endless Symphony along with The Hourglass and the Landslide we get a lesson in how melodic hardrock sound when it is at its best. I am really impressed by these particular tracks but also of the record in general as it holds a high standard all the way through.
Stormwarning is clearly something that I can recommend, the record is well produced, has some great hit songs and it just keeps me listening at all times. No one who claims he/she likes melodic hardrock can miss this album, if they do and claim they did not like it, they are lying.
Stormwarning warns of the impending musical storm that would happen if any of the two mostly mentioned tracks on this album would be played on radio and promoted better, and it is also a great album which all fans of melodic hardrock should own if they still want to call themselves fans of melodic rock/metal.
HHHHHHH
