So, in between having left Dio and had a brief dalliance with Whitesnake and joining Def Leppard, Vivian Campbell put together this rootsy melodic rock band. I’ve always liked Rob Lamothe’s vocals and I’d forgotten how good he his on this album. Another plus is that Vivian gets to be himself and show what a great tasty player he is.
If you were used to him giving it the beans in his time with Dio then this will be a revelation. No heavy metal shapes and tones here, just great playing and cool songs. Holy War is my favourite of them. It’s a killer track with a great melody and hook line, with some very cool leads. Baby Blue is a slightly softer in groove and vibe but that hook and chorus is so good. Rain Rain has a great bluesy groove and swing, and is a close second for favourite tune.
They were never going to be a charting band as they never had that one commercial song to push them, but the album as a whole is one solid piece of work, and it would be a good addition to the collection.
8.5/10 from The Grooveman.
