| CD REVIEW Hard Spirit |
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Band : Hard Spirit As you can see from the heading above, this is really a more European re-issue of this Asturias based Hard Rock band’s debut album, which was originally released by the smaller Triple-A-Metal on September 29, 2007. The album now indeed gets a distribution outside the band’s Spanish borders thanks to the connections of the far more important Avispa imprint, hopefully leading to the band getting better known outside the Iberian island. For Hard Spirit, things started in 2002, its members seeking to make a perfect mix between ‘80s Stadium Rock with the more contemporary Rock of these days. During 2003 the band released their 6-track demo-CD, which soon sold out its 1,000 copy pressing. Feeling this as an important success, the band then takes out time to write a full-length album, time during which they won seven contests and had the time of their life playing alongside such established Spanish hit bands as M-Clan and Pereza at Gijon’s bullring stadion in front of over 10,000 people, and shared the (Spanish) stages with more internationally renowned acts like Bob Catley, Jaded Heart, Mad Max, and Soul Doctor. Finally feeling confident with the material they’d written, they then found the perfect producer in the person of Darksun’s Dani G. [who’d already worked with the likes of Achim Köhler (Primal Fear, Sinner, etc…), Ingo Cjarkovski (Rage) and Dennis Ward (of Pink Cream 69 and Sunstorm)] in early 2006. With their album recorded (as a foursome comprising lead singer Toni Amboaje, guitarist Gansan, bassist Davo Camporro, and drummer Gus Valesco), the band then enters the Villa De Bilbao competition (considered one of the most important ones in Europe…or at least on the Iberian island…with 2000 bands participating and over 32,000 Euros in prizes to be won). Hard Spirit eventually won prizes in the categories “Best Band”, “Best Singer”, and “Best Guitar Player”…and the attention of the Triple-A-Metal imprint (ran by Alberto Ardines, co-founder and drummer of Spain’s infamous act Warcry), with whom the band makes a good deal for the release of their album! I don’t even have to try and wreck my brain in trying to describe this band’s music, as they’ve perfectly did that themselves at myspace.com/hardspirit, namely as “A great mix between the heaviest Bon Jovi and Nickelback with their own sound”. Indeed, Toni has put down the Bon Jovi vocal phrasing down to perfection, including the slight hoarseness! It’s got heavier guitars of coarse (that was, after all, the band’s intent), but the thing is…the heavieness ain’t really to the band’s advantage in the end! Because it makes things sound a bit alike overall (even somewhat calmer moments like the orchestral keyboard-infused (unless they are reàl strings, of course) intro of “Dreaming”, or the album closing semi-ballad “Winter Days” – now that, at least, is one truly great song – change a lot to that feeling) when you’re listening to the whole (11-track, 54-minute) album, you see? Check it out for yourself: the band has posted 5 songs off their album at their MySpace page for you to taste. As an update to the band’s history, I can tell you that the quartet has since grown to a quintet with the addition of rhythm guitarist/ backing singer Miguel Rabio (should make the live music a bit more interesting). In February of this year co-founder Gus Velasco left the band to pursue other goals in life. Not a forthnight later, his replacement David Menen (a veteran of the scene having played with – among others – Nightjar and Tormento) was already installed. As far as my personal appreciation for this band goes, I’m afraid it goes accompanied with my dislike for the type of commercial bands the likes of Bon Jovi belong to! I have to say though: for a Spanish band these guys play a mean bit of internationally appreciable Hard Rock (which certainly will do reasonably well in both Belgium and Germany). 80/100 Tony. |