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September 3, 2010 |
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EROL SORA - Demented Honour
Duration Records (2005) |
9/10 |
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01. Guilty
02. Highway to Nowhere
03. Along The Way
04. Barstool Corner
05. NYC
06. One Way Ticket
07. Piece Of Paper
08. Broken Dreams
09. If You Ever Need Love
10. Rain
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Originally earning a reputation based upon numerous studio sessions he's participated in, the very gifted guitarist/singer/songwriter Erol Sora was most recently an active member of the solo project started by singer John Lawton (ex-URIAH HEEP, LUCIFER'S FRIEND) a few years ago, with whom he recorded 4 CDs and 2 live DVDs. Lately, as the John Lawton Band were taking a break from live performances, our guitar hero decided to move back to Canada where he was planning to work on his own project with the help of drummer Lance Chalmers (ex-TROOPER), keyboardists Gregory Macdonald (BIG JOHN BATES, ex-PEPPERSANDS), Louise Porter (THE RUMOURS) and bassist Kevin Dahl. The debut self-produced album, "Demented Honour", was released Summer 2005.
When referring to his work, Erol claims, "Fans of BAD COMPANY, DEEP PURPLE, KISS and THIN LIZZY will really dig it." Well, no argument here! As the opening track, "Guilty" kicks in, it's not only the old school sound of the legends aforementioned that hits you in the face (and we could also add others such as UFO, MSG, RIOT) but particularly Erol's vocal style which reminds me somehow a little bit like Gary Moore and a lot like Glenn Hughes (TRAPEZE, HUGHES/THRALL, PHENOMENA, DEEP PURPLE) without even trying at all. But make no mistake! This is not AOR we are talking about here - but most likely a very heavy and melodic brand of Hard Rock, and as track two, "Highway To Nowhere", gets started this feeling is reinforced without any effort whatsoever, particularly with the John Sykes (TYGERS OF PAN TANG, THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER) spirited guitar solos offered on each track so far.
By listening to the acoustic intro of the bluesy "Along The Way", I can't help thinking about BAD COMPANY and LYNYRD SKYNYRD except for the fact that it's a lot heavier. Next is the faster paced "Barstool Corner" with keyboards intelligently used this time as organs - maybe in the vein of what John Lord would have done in the same situation? "NYC" is probably as close to Pop as you're ever going to get on this album, but no worries here; we are still talking about Rock and Roll. After the quiet break on the previous couple of tracks, the more aggressive turn taken on the THIN LIZZY "Jailbreak"-era styled "One Way Ticket" is more than welcome (also my favorite track on the album). The mid-tempo "Piece Of Paper" remains in the same spirit and could easily have been written by Phil Lynott himself. "Broken Dream" kick off in an AC/DC vibe and is without a doubt the most kick-ass song on the album.
"If You Ever Need Love", despite its very catchy chorus, never crosses over to pop. The closing track "Rain" - much slower than the rest of the selection - sounds like an early MOLLY HATCHET tune and is the only ballad of the album.
If you liked the Rock and Roll 'turn' recently taken by EUROPE with the release of their latest album, "Start From The Dark", you will really enjoy this disc. Despite the catchiness of the melodies it never gets cheesy. Highly recommended for the fans of vintage Hard Rock.
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