| Musical Style: Melodic Hard Rock | Produced By: Vic Rivera |
| Record Label: Kivel | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 2004 | Artist Website: |
| Tracks: 12 | Rating: 95% |
| Running Time: 45:32 |
With its origin tracing to a chance meeting between vocalist Jamie Rowe and Kivel Records owner John Kivel at the Stryper Expo in 2000, AdrianGale has always been synonymous with commercial melodic hard rock and catchy AOR subtleties. Kivel explained to Rowe he was looking for a singer to round out a project of his featuring guitarist, drummer and songwriter Vic Rivera. Rowe and Rivera proceeded to form an instantaneous musical connection, with the matter of course the Kivel Records first three AdrianGale albums, Feel The Fire (2000), Re: Program (2002) and Crunch (2004).
Rowe is no stranger to the hard music scene in having gained initial renown from fronting the Pure Metal Records first two Tempest albums, A Coming Storm (1987) and Eye Of The Storm (1989). It is with Guardian, however, in which he garnered the greatest acclaim, specifying the 95% Angelic Warlord reviewed 1990 sophomore album Fire & Love and 1993 follow up effort Miracle Mile (80% review). AdrianGale represents the next logical musical step for Rowe due to sharing a similar musical platform as Guardian.
Inaugural releases Feel The Fire and Re: Program found AdrianGale getting off to a strong start, but it was not until Crunch that it reached similar heights of artistic acumen as Fire & Love. An album close to perfect in every way, Crunch combines translucent production and immediately identifiable songwriting with Rowe’s raspy but soulful vocal delivery and Rivera’s deep rooted sense of melodic guitar playing. Second guitarist Scott ‘Riff’ Miller (Tango Down, Talon, Romeo Riot) and bassist Scott Novella (Straight Wired, Radar) round out what amounts an all star caliber lineup.
Do not mistake AdrainGale for a Christian band or Crunch a Christian album. That said AdrianGale lyrics, mostly composed by Rivera but with prose to several songs attributing to Rowe, are positive in dealing with life and relationships with occasional spiritual themes.
Album opens to one-minute guitar instrumental “Breaking Stride” before moving on to its willful title track. “Crunch” proves quintessential AdrianGale: aptly entitled with its anthem like guitar fortitude but irresistible in terms of enduring melody and unambiguous vocal melodies. The duel lead guitar brings to mind Michael Sweet and Oz Fox (Stryper). Lyric snippet:
Get away – calling for action
And it’s time that you got on your feet
Gotta play – get in the action
Never win if you’re stuck to your seat
Crunch through it all
Gotta break down the wall
Hold your ground – take a stand
On your feel you will land
Gotta do what you do
“Faith” ensues in high-spirited form. It proves punch driven, noting Novella’s supreme bass line guiding the galvanized verse sections, but also impacting, revealed in the sturdy backing vocals driving the charged refrain. In between, a contrastingly relaxed blues aspect imbues rhythm guitar. Lyric snippet:
I’m not the kind of man who tells you what to do
I know that everyone has different points of view
All I can testify of faith is what I know
And I’m not the judge or jury- I just rock and roll
Faith - summer brings the sweet, sweet rain
Faith - give me freedom, break these chains of mine
Faith - all my heart belongs to You
Faith - Do I have faith? Yes! I do!
Five-minute ballad “Without A Moments Notice” is a choice one. Undisturbed and laid back with its easy-going nature, song revels in heart and soul as Rowe reaches deep and lends a lower register aspect to his vocal delivery. Perfectly placed melodic harmonies and layered vocal melodies build upon the commercial sentiments. I can see Bride doing something along these lines.
“Tougher Than It Looks” returns to a hard rock trajectory. It proves a fun listen, crunch laden with its catchy guitar riffs but also emanating the joyous from the grooving if not boogie flavored low-end underpinnings. Miller impresses with his shred lead guitar work.
Mid-tempo borderline metal realizes on “When in Rome”. It projects a laid-back resonance, identifying the in and out of the mix rhythm guitar and steady as it gets bass, but also a bared aspect, observing the curtly done vocals and brusque incentive. Lyric snippet:
Are they sending us a message?
Is the station dialed in?
Are the corporates always laughing?
‘Cause their pockets always win!
Your gray matter – doesn’t matter
What’s the matter with you?
Saw it on the web
Heard it on the news
So it must be true!
With searing guitar feedback to start, “Long Gone” proves a scorcher in every way. Song hoists an escalated bass presence and kindled guitar tones to stress a flaring resolve but also a stately side found in Rowe’s soulful vocal delivery and commercially pigmented refrain. The Guardian comparison is unmistakable on this one.
“The Thin Line” realizes the mid-tempo while maintaining the heaviness. Rhythm guitar muscles in swarthy fashion, a burnished metal edge rises to the surface, and vocals correspondingly reach for the lower register, propagating a suitable inauspicious edge. Added incentive reveals in the artful duel guitar leads. Lyric snippet:
Can’t see the tracks twisting and turning
Sending you burning in flames
Can’t stop the wreck from crashing around you
Before you are standing in shame
Much too late to turn the pages back
To the beginning
Shock to you that you can lose
In a game you thought you were winning
Not hard to run – when the dame is done
“Questions” slows tempo further as albums lengthiest at just under five-minutes. It proves emotionally charged, yielding guitar riffs of a vehement form (adorning the impermeable verse sections) and vocal melodies touching upon the commercial (embellishing the exuberant refrain). A bluesy angle echoes accordingly.
“Freedom”, a three-minute instrumental the group dedicates to the U.S. Armed Forces at home and abroad, relishes in delicate guitar and extant bass. Rivera and Miller handle the harmony guitar solos, with gist a song more melodic driven as opposed to eighties shred based.
“This Time” represents another slower cut but suggesting of AOR as opposed to hard rock. Rhythm guitar makes its presence felt but not in an impacting sense, while vocal harmonies mirror the sing along in repeating songs title in spotless fashion. A slight hint of classic rock separates in the process.
Album closes strongly to “Last Call”, a tempered mid-paced cut to see abundant backing vocals (again, the Guardian comparison comes into play) and stirring eloquence (there is almost a semi ballad flair at hand). Yes, the song is commercial in an inviting sense but also blues rooted in terms of the emotional feedback and expressive vocal angling. Lyric snippet:
If the courage to move doesn’t come your way
Then there’s no one to blame if you stay
In the shadow of doubt, could you find the way out?
Could you see it’s the…
Last call – destiny calling
Sending its message to you – could be the
Last call – to drop your worries
Make all your visions come true
If interested in quintessential eighties style melodic hard rock meets AOR, then look no further than third AdrianGale album Crunch. All the ingredients are present for a great work: translucent production, well conceived songwriting and top of the scale musicianship and vocals. If a fan of the styles indicated then make not just Crunch a priority purchase, but also AdrianGale heavier follow up releases Sucker Punch! and Defiance from 2013 and 2014, respectively (both also Kivel).
Review by: Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: "Breaking Stride" (1:08), "Crunch" (4:06), "Faith" (4:21), "Without A Moments Notice" (4:57), "Tougher Than It Looks" (3:58), "When In Rome" (4:00), "Long Gone" (3:42), "The Thin Line" (3:58), "Question" (4:44), "Freedom" (3:00), "This Time" (3:50), "Last Call" (3:44)
Musicians
Jamie Rowe - Lead Vocals
Vic Rivera - Guitars & Drums
Scott “Riff” Miller - Guitars
Scott Novella - Bass
