HARDLINE: Heart, Mind And Soul (MELODIC HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Released in 1991 with their first try "Double Eclipse", Hardline didn't imagine that this title could turn out to be predestined, only seeing their little brother come into the world ten years later and their successor seven long years later. Since 2009, this band has been calling on us with a frequency more in accordance with that expected of a working band. Two years ago, the much appreciated "Life", their sixth album, had fed our insatiable appetite for musical novelties. The combo from Los Angeles, which since then only gathers Italians, offers us today its new compositions collected in an opus called "Heart, Mind And Soul".

The line-up hasn't moved from one inch, which is unique since its very beginning. The two brains of the band, the excellent frontman Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudy Pell and Crush 40) - the only survivor from the past - and the relentless multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Del Vecchio are once again responsible for maintaining the band's trademark, which is to develop a melodic big rock that varies from one track to another, from the dynamic US hard rock to the more measured FM hard rock. Not allowing themselves to be limited to one style, Hardline know how to make their AOR rough as well as their heavy rock polished and have taken the good habit of offering stylish and classy tracks. "Heart, Mind And Soul" is the continuity of its predecessor, so the listener won't be mistaken: those who appreciated "Life" will be satisfied by this new try.

Those who worship Whitesnake will find that 'Fuel To The Fire' reminds them in many ways and will inevitably stamp their feet. Aficionados of hard FM riffs and melodious mid-tempi will enjoy listening to 'Surrender', and fans of AOR with 80's synths "a la Bon Jovi" will listen to 'If I Coud I Would' over and over again. The fans of Journey will be rejuvenated with the catchy 'Like That' and the ballad 'Heavenly' where the shadow of his guitarist Neal Schon - present on the first opus of Hardline - hovers over the six-string dazzling that transcends this beautiful object. As for the inconsolable ones crying for the end of UFO, they should find colors again with the sounds of 'Waiting For Your Fall'.

So it is with this "Heart, Mind And Soul" intended for the lovers of melodic hard rock in all its forms. Hardline remains faithful to itself and this is excellent news. Let's respect this combo that has kept its original identity for twenty years. - Official website

HARDLINE

HEART, MIND AND SOUL

FRONTIERS RECORDS

MELODIC HARD ROCK