Band : Perfect View
Album title : Hold Your Dreams
Label : Avenue Of Allies
Distributor : Bertus
Release Date : 15/10/2010
Release : CD

Italy seems to be avery prosperous country these last years, at least when you’re talking about the numerous AOR, Melodic Rock, Classic Rock and Hard Rock bands that have been sprouting there.
Perfect view is one of those bands, and was founded in 2008 by Massimiliano Ordine, Francesco Cataldo and Luca Ferraresi.

The info folder mentions they wanted to play AOR in the vein of Toto, Winger, and Journey, with some harder elements à la Van Halen and Lynch Mob, with some progressive elements mixed in as well.  Have they achieved this goal ?  They have written some excellent AOR songs, but I hardly get anything of the aforementioned bands.  At some points it reminds me of Saga, but I think they not created real a real pure AOR album, since there are lots of harder songs on this album than you’d expect.
Musically it all fits snugly, with Francesco Cataldo shaking out some good riffs and solo’s out of his guitar, while Massimiliane Ordine has a clear and potent voice, singing in English without any accent, but at times he does go very high, at times even sounding a bit like James Labrie.

This kind of music would have done very well back in the eighties.  Is there any future for them in the 21st century?  We’ll wait and see.

80/100

Erik Morren.