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Vantage Point: Alternative View

It’s not all that unusual for a band to invite a guest singer to take lead vocals on a track or two on one of their albums and that’s something that Edinburgh rockers Vantage Point have partaken in from time to time. However, it’s a brave and confident band - and singer - who takes that a step further and gathers up those tracks and brings them together to make an album! Hence, even before Alternative View is popped in the CD player or queued up on your playlist, kudos is immediately deserved - and if you invest in the deluxe version of the album it comes replete with a magazine covering the history of the band and their releases, and which this reviewer may well have had a small hand in.

The two guest names that will probably catch most people’s attention right from the off are Blaze Bayley, who has, of course, been a mainstay of the metal scene for many a year with Iron Maiden, Wolfsbane, Blaze and his solo work, and Martin Jakubski, who has been fortunate and talented enough to turn impressive displays with a Marillion tribute act into a regular gig with Steve Rothery - yes the Marillion guitarist himself - as the singer in the latter’s solo side project. Here, Blaze absolutely slays on a crackingly riotous “24 Hours Of Freedom”, while Jakubski adds a completely different dimension to “Just When I Wasn’t Looking”.

Not all of the tracks are reworking of older Vantage Point numbers, Richard Lock bringing a hard rock slant to “The Prize”, while Mercy Breheny shows what a vocal talent she is on “The List” - a song that seems to be able to be found on previous releases by both Vantage Point and Mercy Breheny! However, Alternative View isn’t just about the guest singers, the energetic instrumental “Sands Of Time” a high octane excursion and the Murray Graham - the band’s full time bassist and singer - fronted “Once Upon A Time” the kind of fairy tale you’d scare your children to sleep with!

An unusual release, Alternative View is a whole heap of fun as it shines the spotlight on the many guests Vantage Point have briefly welcomed onboard over the years. More importantly, it also highlights that no matter who is fronting them, this band writes and records cracking songs that cover all of the bases from traditional heavy metal to hard rock and much more in between.


Track Listing
1. 24 Hours Of Freedom
2. Tutankhamun
3. Just When I Wasn’t Looking
4. The List
5. Once Upon A Time
6. The Prize
7. Express Yourself
8. Sands Of Time
9. The Line

Added: September 9th 2023
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Vantage Point @ bandcamp
Hits: 979
Language: english

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Vantage Point: Alternative View
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2023-09-09 18:22:14
My Score:

Last year I reviewed Vantage Point’s On Target album and already we have the Scottish band’s latest release Alternative View. Both albums were released in 2022, talk about being busy! What is equally impressive is the songs are just as strong, making Alternative View an excellent hard rock album. What makes this album a little different are the seven guest lead vocalists bringing a slightly different style to each track.

This is a totally rocking disc with the catchiness oozing out of the grooves. Right out of the gate we have the blazing melodic hard rock of “24 Hours of Freedom” featuring the unmistakeable vocals of Blaze Bayley and an awesome organ solo from Derek Sherinian. Next is “Tutankhamun” and the excellent voice of Caroline Connell. As the pace quickens, scorching lead guitar from Liam Kane and fine bass work from Murray Graham will leave you breathless. “Just When I Wasn’t Lookin’” features chunky guitar riffs and more solid bass from Graham and with the moody rocker “The List”, hints of Deep Purple unfold and is punctuated with scintillating lead guitar. Besides bass, Graham is the band’s regular vocalist and sings great on “Once Upon A Time”, a well crafted slice of melodic hard rock. And that neo classical guitar shredding is pretty cool.

So there you have it. If catchy hard rock is in your wheelhouse, you cannot go wrong with Vantage Point’s Alternative View. Highly recommended.



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