They used to say "the Russians are coming", however, I am here to tell you that they have already arrived.
Proving that Rock 'n' Roll has no boundaries, Russian Melodic Hard Rockers Reds'Cool, are back with their third album 'Press Hard'. The quintet, from St. Petersburg, are out to show that it is not just their football team that can give their European rivals a run for their money and with '...Hard' they prove just that.
The album consists of nine tracks of "no-filler, all-killer" Melodic Hard Rock tunes with one foot clearly planted in the eighties. The band has once again employed the legendary Michael Wagener on the production desk (he also produced their sophomore album 'Bad Story').
The highly melodic, yet gravelly tone of vocalist Slava "Spark" Aleksanov is reminiscent of the legendary Melodic Rock singers Steve Lee (Gotthard), Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids) and Gerry McGhee (Brighton Rock). The music is also of the same high quality as these aforementioned bands, starting with the opening track 'Dangerous One' that immediately grabs the listener's attention and is immediately followed up by the infectious 'My Way'.
My personal favourite track is 'The Way I Am' that has a UFO vibe, the band I saw Reds'Cool supporting last year, and has a monumental huge chorus. 'Brand New Start' even features the quintessential eighties "na, na, na". 'Strangers Eyes' and 'One Night' lean towards more straight forward AOR and remind me of John Fiore (Preview) as well as the aforesaid vocalists. 'Call Me' is a little more intense whilst retaining the melodies that are abundant throughout the album.
The solos and melodic interplay of guitarists Ilja "Lu" Smirnov and Sergei Fedotov are impressive throughout and none more so than on 'Love Behind'. The band are completed by Dima "Dee" Pronin on bass (and backing vocals) and Andrew Krouglov on the drums. Another feature of this album are the impressive backing vocals that are most prominent on the closing track 'No More'.
They used to say "the Russians are coming", however, I am here to tell you that they have already arrived. 'Press Hard' is an essential purchase for fans of BR, the Maids and Gotthard.
Mark Donnelly
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