| WildKard Megalomania | Escape Music ESM148 |
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WildKard is the perfect poster child release for those that think all the great music of the past has already been heard. How could these songs have been left in the vaults for so long?
The core of WildKard is three of my favourite British musicians – Kick members Nick Workman – Vocals, Chris Jones – Guitars and Mikey J. – Bass. I'm a big fan of Kick, but they have always pushed forward with a more modern feel which puts off some that prefer the classic 80s sound or nothing at all. The guys have recently all appeared on their own projects while the future of Kick is debated. Perhaps this release will give all three some enthusiasm for embracing a more melodic, classic AOR sound for a future release, as this is pure melodic bliss! WildKard was originally known as The Zero Hour Project and these songs were written in the early 90s but never finished or released. I guess the guys figured that the melodic rock ship had sailed by then and the classic 80s sound was to be killed off for good as far as the mainstream was concerned. They were right. But good music can't be kept at bay and these songs were finally re-recorded earlier this year in partnership with the original guys and some additional musicians in Finland. The result is a real blast from the past. The guys have their own sound, but if you have heard Kick, imagine that band with a more dominant keyboard direction and a pure 80s melodic rock / AOR direction. Some of the keyboards are performed by Steve Newman, so that allows a direct comparison to the Newman albums, which is definitely present in the band's sound. At time they rock – such as the opener Falling Down and All I Have, along with Something Strange and Letting Go. I love those tracks, but it is the killer AOR anthems End Of The World, 7Days, Something Strange and the wonderful big ballads Whispers In The Dark, Wake Me Up When It's Over and When Everything Has Changed that really blow my mind. I just love this stuff and being a huge fan of Nick Workman's voice, it is a true pleasure to hear him sing for the first time in a 100% old-school way.
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06/05/07: Distorted - distatic@yahoo.co.uk
24/04/07: Heppy - heppy55@hotmail.co.uk
19/04/07: progaor06 - jcrout@bellsouth.net
Rating: 80
very good songs but the only thing i dont really like is the singer's voice is kinda annoying at times.
80% score.
Rating: 96
This is way better than any of the Kick releases , they should stick to this style of (80s with a tint of modern rock) sound. There isn't a bad track on it, the vocals are excellent and the music is awsome.This year has not long started and i will be hard pushed to hear a better album than this. Lets hope theres more to come from them.
Rating: 95
this is one hella cd this is very good stuff,You dont hear stuff like this everyday.It got awesome keywork making it stellar cd,not bad for debut cd if i recall rightly....
Pure melodic rock at its best gem that will be in my top 2007 list for sure....
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