Michael Bormann, ex-vocalist for Germany's Jaded Heart, used to think he was Jon Bon Jovi - probably still does. We'll see how the man's solo career pans out … Jaded Heart, meanwhile, pegged ex-Scudiero singer Johan Fahlberg to replace Bormann, whose voice came to define the band on its previous six releases. Fahlberg is no Bon Jovi, which means that he reins in the vocal histrionics to give this veteran band a slightly American sound that lands somewhere between Winger and Pink Cream 69.
Truth be told, Helluva Time is the perfect album for Italy's Frontiers Records, Jaded Heart's new home - a label that got its start in the mid-Nineties by releasing top-notch melodic hard rock before branching off into occasionally watered-down AOR and status-quo progressive metal. Which explains why this is one of the strongest Frontiers releases in a long time. Full of songs both arena-ready ("Love to Live," "Dreams You'll Never See") and understated ("Somewhere," "No One"), with a big-hair ballad ("Without You") tossed in for old time's sake, Helluva Tiime holds true to the promise of its title. Stupid lines like "Loving you is Heaven/Missing you is hell" in the otherwise riff-tastic "Hole In My Heart" are easy to overlook in songs like these. Big riffs, big choruses, big guitar solos and big fun - if you're into this kind of stuff, you can't miss with Jaded Heart. And you wouldn't be shortchanging yourself to dig into the band's back catalog from the Bormann days, either.
After years of playing musical chairs with labels around the world, here's hoping that the five men in Jaded Heart - with only two original members remaining - can now build upon the Frontiers foundation and give the melodic hard rock faithful something new to cheer about.
Track Listing:
1) Tomorrow Comes
2) Hole In My Heart
3) Somewhere
4) Dreams You'll Never See
5) Who's Foolin'
6) Paid My Dues
7) Without You
8) Love & Desire
9) No One
10) Shores of Paradise
11) Frozen Heart
12) Love to Live
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
