Pink Cream 69: Ceremonial

That damn name. If I could tell you how many people have looked at me with a WTF expression after I suggest they check out a band called Pink Cream 69… (And I've been suggesting people check out these guys for years, usually adding that this is not some cock-rock retread, but rather one of the finest melodic hard rock bands of our generation.)

In fact, PC69 seems to be improving with every album. The German band's 11th disc bulges with hard-rock swagger: staggering hooks, explosive melodies, robust background vocals and bold lyrics. PC69 hasn't lost a step between 2007's In10sity and Ceremonial, as the epic opening cut "Land of Confusion" proves. That is followed by the propulsive and contemporary "Wasted Years" and the fast 'n' sexy "Special" (designated as the first single in Europe). The mellow guitar intro on "Passage of Time" is reflective of music played ubiquitously on rock radio in the mid-1990s, while "King for One Day" would have been a hit on rock radio a decade earlier. "Follow Your Soul" reveals the band's psychedelic colors, "Right from Wrong" – with its distorted vocals and fists-in-the-air chorus – could be a modern-day Bon Jovi song, and "I Came to Rock" lives up to its promise and ranks among the album's heaviest tracks. There is no full-blown ballad among these dozen songs, and only "The Tide" even comes close.

Bassist and producer Dennis Ward has said the band "deliberately called the album Ceremonial because we feel it's kind of a celebration of music styles we all grew up with, regardless of what PC69 has done in the past." But to a certain degree, Ceremonial relies on some of the same musical ideas that made In10sity and 2004's Thunderdome so potent. On the other hand, the band also takes some gutsy chances by updating its sound. Pink Cream 69 didn't make tweaks just for the hell of it, but a few changes here and there don't hurt; frankly, they were necessary to ensure the band's musically healthy evolution.

That said, David Readman remains one of the finest vocalists in hard rock, and Ward one of the genre's classiest producers. Dual guitarists Uwe Reitenauer and Alfred Koffler give PC69 a full, thick sound, and new drummer Chris Schmidt fits in perfectly, propelling these songs with style and flair.

Is Ceremonial superior to its most immediate predecessors? (Keep in mind that I've probably played In10sity more times during the past five years than other hard-rock record released during that same time span.) More spins are required before passing definitive judgment, but this is an early – a very early – contender for hard-rock album of 2013.

Track Listing:
1) Land of Confusion
2) Wasted Years
3) Special
4) Find Your Soul
5) The Tide
6) Big Machine
7) Let the Thunder Roll
8) Right From Wrong
9) Passage of Time
10) I Came to Rock
11) King for One Day
12) Superman

Added: February 17th 2013
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Pink Cream 69 Website
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Language: english

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