With a career spanning well over 20 years but now coming off a bit of a layoff, melodic rock sensations Drive, She Said return with their latest release for Frontiers Records, Pedal to the Metal. Twelve tracks squarely spun from the late '80s hard rock era, Pedal to the Metal is a sure fire match for any fan who grew up to the sounds of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Journey, Foreigner, and the many other bands who combined melodic, anthemic hooks with crunching guitar thunder.
I dare anyone to try to avoid getting sucked in by the addicting melodies to tracks such as "In R Blood", "Touch", or the Ten/Magnum influenced "Writing on the Wall", each one a crisp rocker with soaring vocals, fantastic keyboard work, and ripping guitars. The emotional "Said it All", "In Your Arms", and "Rainbows and Hurricanes" show the bands penchant for catchy ballads, while "Rain of Fire" and "Love Will Win in the End" add a slight darkness to the melodic sheen that reminds a bit of vintage Dokken. I could have done without the bizarre sounds of "IM the Nyte" (silly title too), and "All I Wanna Do" seems 25 years too late to cash in on the acoustic-pop success of Extreme's "More Than Words", but it's a decent enough tune with a great hook. However, the real winner here is the blistering, Deep Purple influenced title track, a searing rocker with some kick ass guitar & organ passages...wish there were a few more in that style for sure!
Overall, Pedal to the Metal is a fun and enjoyable collection of hard rockers and ballads from Al Fritsch (vocals, guitars), Mark Mangold (keyboards), and company, and proves that even after a long break, these guys can still write some great material and execute them quite impressively. Well done!
Track Listing
1) Touch
2) Pedal to the Metal
3) In R Blood
4) Said It All
5) Writing on the Wall
6) Rainbows and Hurricanes
7) Love Will Win in the End
8) Rain of Fire
9) In Your Arms
10) IM the Nyte
11) Lost in You
12) All I Wanna Do
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