Escape Music/Sound Pollution
IMPERA rings no bells, but the name has a lot to it. The musicians in the band/project are J.K. Impera, drums (BRUCE KULIC, GRAHAM BONNET), Tommy Denander, guitars (TOTO, PAUL STANLEY, ALICE COOPER, etc), Matti Alfonzetti, vocals (JAGGED EDGE, ROAD TO RUIN etc), and Mats Vassfjord, bass (VINNIE VINCENT, JOHN CORABI etc). Loads of routine and musicianship, and also loads of classic hard rock with bits of AOR according to the info.
Opener “Turn My Heart to Stone” is effective without being the very best song on offer. Melody and routine makes things go along smoothly. I personally prefer the more forceful “Kiss of Death”, which would have been an even better opening – but so far so good. When there is Alfonzetti, there is also blues, and the rule is not to be broken. “Break the Law” has that edge of Matti´s, paired with a nice refrain and a chunky sound. A couple of routine tracks, “Sunset Rider”, “Tell Me” and “Deadend Street” mar the utmost excellence on offer here. But there is still a lot of AOR pedigree in a song like “More than Meets the Eye”, and the bluesy coziness of “Show Me the End”. The production courtesy of Lars CChriss of LION`S SHARE fame is crisp and with the right mix of bluesy hard rock and AOR. Fans of melodic hard rock of the finest kind will not be disappointed, but not thrilled beyond belief by the gang involved either.
Track List
Turn My Heart to Stone
Kiss of Death
Break the Law
Shoot Me Down
Sunset Rider
Tell Me
More Than Meets the Eye
Is This Love
Show Me the Money
Deadend Street
www.escape-music.com www.impera.org
