LINE OF FIRE - MOMENTUM

Line of Fire’s latest release entitled Momentum, is nothing short of sheer melodic rock genius. Glorious vocal harmonies and hooks that slice to the bone while embedding themselves deep in your psyche. Top drawer production seals the deal; a strong demanding urge to play it at full volume to share with others is the last item on the agenda.

Shawn Pelata clearly shows that he has one of the finest voices currently in the melodic rock arena. Vocally Shawn’s strength, grit and depth provide the power to cut across the finely tuned instrumentation underneath. The vocal harmonizations are top drawer excursions into musical bliss, reminiscent of Boston, these exploits are just not heard with the same quality in today’s musical environment. Some may quip ‘What about Stryper?’ perhaps, but their harmonies are clean and shiny. The vocal lines here have more balls, determination and strength.

Musically the band itself provides the appropriate counter balance to Shawn’s vocal grit and angst. The songs themselves are musical passages, which simply cannot be ignored. Wonderful arranging and instrumental interplay through out this album deliver these infectious bits of whimsy to the listener with ease. Hitting replay on your player will be easier than anything else you’ve done this summer.

Nikki Damage and Ed Darst show what it means to play tastefully with each other. Both men provide some exceptionally high brow guitar playing; they don’t over do it but seem to know instinctively where to place their parts in the songs.

The lyrics throughout this album continually provide a positive and message to keep fighting through life. Even when the chips are down, and in some cases gone, these messages of encouragement and words of empathy are delivered to the listener with a strong sense of camaraderie. These guys have all been in some of the hardest times imaginable and they tell us all ‘We passed through the fire and so can you.’

This is a hard rock record which is destined for long, hot drives and mountain driving. It’s not an album you can only listen to once, that would be a crime. If you love melodic rock n roll such as Boston, Journey or Firehouse this album is a must. Line of Fire breathed life into an art form (melodic hard rock) that was in need of some life. Do yourself a favor and grab this disc sooner rather than later. You’ll be glad you did.


8 axes

LINE OF FIRE - LINE OF FIRE

The debut release by Line of Fire is not to be missed. After a five year hiatus this catalog of melodic rock anthems is now available once again and not a moment too soon. Compositions of encouragement and driving rock n roll shouldn’t be neglected. With a unique timeliness, many of the songs here are simply astounding.

The mass appeal of these melodies is evident from the first listen. Catchy and mesmerizing you’ll find yourself humming along and not even realizing it. This re-release dovetails the release of their new album entitled Momentum.

However as it seems that Momentum took page from the Foreigner catalog, this debut album took a page from the Boston archives. In both cases neither one is a rip off but clearly an homage that says, ‘these bands influenced us but we’re own band.’

A tremendous amount of passion went into the making of this album that much is clear. The crafting of each passage almost feels as if they were composing more than a rock album, but something for a time capsule of their lives. The members of Line of Fire have had a rather trying past five years. Personal tragedy marked each member with its indelible mark.

It is with great empathy that I hope they were able to listen to their own creation, because listening to these songs definitely grant assurance to the listener. Faith in Fire, Salvations Edge are prime examples of ‘hold on till the end’ type songs. As someone who has walked in the valley they've brought me encouragement.

This deluxe edition has two extra tracks which represent different versions of both, Remind Me and Can’t You See. Nice touches on both and essential for the Line of Fire fan.

The bottom line here is that this disc rocks and you’ll have a hard time getting out of your CD player, or changing the folder on your MP3 player. Just hearing Shawn Pelata crank out these sensational vocals will give you chills. Fans of melodic hard rock will want to get this release and get it quickly.


8 axes