The problem with supergroups is that each member necessarily has a minister's agenda, and that you often have to wait a long time between albums. In the case of The Winery Dogs, however, it all kicked off in high gear with two releases almost back-to-back, "The Winery Dogs" in 2013 and "Hot Streak" in 2015. And then nothing for seven years. At least in the studio, as the band has always played live whenever possible, and immortalised their performances with two live albums. So it's with an unfeigned impatience that the fans were waiting for this third album, soberly entitled "III". And it's an understatement to say that it lives up to what hard rock fans could expect from a power trio of this calibre. Because let's say it right away, The Winery Dogs send back to their studies a good number of melodic hard rock bands who indulge themselves in formatted productions.
There's no doubt that the trio has reached an important milestone here, that of the flawless cohesion between its members. This is what jumps out at you right away when you listen to the ten tracks of this very high quality "III", and this is what clearly makes the difference compared to the previous albums. The three prodigies are there to have fun and to enjoy themselves, without one of them ever taking over the other two. The track 'Gaslight' is a perfect example of this. Mike Portnoy and Billy Sheehan have a great time with a frenzied rhythm section, while Richie Kotzen is very effective on guitar and vocals.
In fact, it would be a great step forward in the world of rock if the first virtue of The Winery Dogs was to finally give Kotzen his rightful place as one of the most gifted guitarists of his generation. Each of his soli is a real guitar lesson, and his duels with Billy Sheehan's bass are simply breathtaking in their class and mastery of technique ('Mad World', 'Rise', 'Pharaoh', 'The Red Wine').
Groovy as can be, impressive in its mastery and relaxation, "III" is pure rock and roll pleasure. The Winery Dogs never take the easy way out, neither in the compositions nor in the execution, and constantly find the perfect balance between technique and melody, feeding on subtle and always right influences, going from psychedelia ('Stars') to progressive rock ('The Red Wine') to blues ('Lorelei'). This brilliant album is a real lifeline for all hard rock lovers who secretly despair of the lack of creativity and fun in the current productions of the genre.