Red Zone Rider: Red Zone Rider

Red Zone Rider are the latest 'super-project', consisting of Vinnie Moore (Guitar -solo Artist, Alice Cooper, UFO), Kelly Keeling (Vocals, Fretless Bass, Organ -Baton Rouge, MSG, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) and Scot Coogan (Drums -Lita Ford, Ace Frehley, Brides Of Destruction), and their self-titled debut will be out on Magna Carta Records. With their intent on paying homage to the greats of the '70s like Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Free, Mountain, and Grand Funk Railroad, the band have done a great job on creating songs that utilize effective bluesy hard rock guitar work, soulful vocals, and catchy hooks to deliver home that vintage sound. It's a similar formula that's been successful for that other all-star collaborative called Winery Dogs, so if you dug their debut, this one is more than easy to recommend.

Those who have followed Moore's years in UFO are surely fully aware he's much more than just the fearless shredder who wowed the guitar world with his instrumental solo albums in the late 1980s. Here he pulls out all his classic styled licks, laying down molten Leslie West/Paul Kossoff/Jimmy Page influenced lead lines on the groove laden heavy rocker "Hell No", as well as cranking out huge, fuzz soaked riffs on the monstrous "By the Rainbow's End", a heavy, heavy blues-metal scorcher that instantly recalls vintage Mountain. The melodic "House of Light" allows Keeling to really show off his bluesy side, channeling Paul Rodgers in his days with Bad Company, while the poignant, slow blues of "Cloud of Dreams" again sees the singer digging deep with some soul searching vocal passages alongside some emotional lines from Moore. "Save It" features some smoldering Hammond organ saddled up next to Moore's funky licks as Coogan rips it up underneath, an easy song to recommend to any fan of Burn/Stormbringer/Come Taste the Band era of Deep Purple, and "Never Trust Woman" unleashes the heavy boogie ala Cactus or Foghat, as Moore rips out torrents of white hot slide guitar leads over thick bluesy heavy rock riffing. Hints of Rainbow & Deep Purple seep through on the atmospheric organ drenched rocker "Obvious", with Keeling really delivering a powerful vocal and Moore doing his best Schenker/Blackmore styled guitar solos. "The Hand That Feeds You" rocks hard with some fat blues rock riffs, while "Hit the Road" injects plenty of funk into the bands heavy hitting sound. More smoldering Deep Purple styled organ/guitar interplay on the brooding "There's a Knowing", and the trio close out the album in upbeat style with "Count's 77", a catchy, groovy, boiling riff machine that recalls Montrose, Grand Funk, and Deep Purple, Keeling soaring to the heavens over a cavalcade of riffs from Moore, swirling organ, and Coogan's deft stick work.

Let's hope that Red Zone Rider turn this into something permanent, as they've really done something special here. If Moore can find some free time in his UFO schedule, there's a built in audience for this type of upbeat, catchy, '70s styled heavy rock/blues rock material. Well done!

Track Listing

1. Hell No
2. By The Rainbow's End
3. House Of Light
4. Cloud Of Dreams
5. Save It
6. Never Trust A Woman
7. Obvious
8. The Hand That Feeds You
9. Hit The Road
10. There's A Knowing
11. Count's 77

Added: September 7th 2014
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Magna Carta Records
Hits: 2996
Language: english

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