Tag: revolution saints

Revolution Saints, the band that aren’t really a band at all. Three great musicians with Dean Castronovo on drums and vocals, Joel Hoekstra on guitar, Jeff Pilson on bass, and yet they have not written one note on the entire album. Frontiers love child Alessandro Del Vecchio is the main songwriter on all the album and this is basically a Frontiers vanity project.

Does the album sound good, I hear you cry? Well of course it does! Super slick and polished as they try to recreate that classic Journey sound. Dean could sing a Chinese take away menu and it would sound superb, he just has the perfect voice for this music. Hoekstra is a killer melodic player and he deploys the relevant notes to the relevant places in each song.

I can’t help feeling this is Pop Idol for balding men of a certain age with expanding bellies to match. I jest somewhat, but it does feel a bit like a certain type of music done to order. You know what I mean! You roll up to the drive through and give the attendant your order “Can I have Journey quarter pounder with a huge ballad on the side?”

Anyhoo, don’t listen to my cynicism it’s a very well put together record.

7.5/10 from The Grooveman.

This is album number four for another one of the Frontiers’ projects that gives a moment in the spotlight to their in house producer, songwriter, and keyboard player Alessandro Del Vecchio. The only song he doesn’t contribute to (writing wise) is Crime Of The Century. If you know anything of these Frontiers projects, they all seem to have that same footprint where they all sound a bit like Journey. Well, thats how it comes across to me. I mean Dean Castronovo alone makes it all sound like Journey just with his phrasing, so they don’t have to try to hard here.

You may think I’m going to do a big dump all over this record, but I’m not. The album is a very slick sounding melodic rock behemoth and you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s 1984. Anything that Dean sings is gold, he could sing a Chinese take out menu and it would be immense, and Joel Hoekstra on guitar just kills it. You could pick any track as your favourite and you’d be happy, but I’m going for Need Each Other. Nope, it’s not a rocker as such, just a well written song where Dean’s vocals are awesome.

This pressing is surprisingly really good. Hopefully Frontiers have got to grips with all their pressing problems.

9/10 from The Grooveman.

Here we go again with another of Frontiers put together projects, and this time the blueprint is a heavier version of Journey. They have recruited ex-Journey drummer, Dean Castronovo on drums and vocals, Jack Blades on bass and vocals, and Doug Aldrich supplying the heavier moments on guitar. This is the 2nd album and is the better of the two. All Journey fans will tell you that Dean is the best vocalist that the band never had as a vocalist. The guy has killer pipes that are perfect for these Journey type of tunes, as he has that Frontiers era Steve Perry tone to his voice.

To be fair, this is a superb album as the songs are really strong and all the main protagonists play their asses off. The 2nd track in, Freedom, is worth the album money alone. Killer riff and groove, great vocal from Dean, and some serious guitar from Doug. I bet Journey wish they could write tunes as good as this today. The following track, Ride On, is equally as good with double kicks a blazing. it’s a superb up-tempo melodic rocker complete with an Aldrich shred fest.

It’s very obvious that the Frontiers guys have a Journey fetish, and I guess this is as close as they get. Still – it’s a good album with two excellent tracks that any band would be proud of.

9/10 from The Grooveman.