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Loud N Clear: Playing With Thunder

Melodic Hard Rock

3.5/5.0

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Unsigned/Self-released
by Craig Hartranft,  10.05.2012

From the land of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus comes Loud N Clear, an Israeli band revisiting Eighties melodic hard rock. The larger historical context is LA Sunset Strip rock made famous by [insert your favorite band here]. With the many mimickers that have come and gone since grunge (supposedly) put the knife in the heart of all things glam and Aquanet, Loud N Clear makes a rather good case for themselves.

Loud N Clear: loud and scary pants.

Playing With Thunder is a short discourse in 80's hard rock, not counting the bonus track, with only six songs. It's longer than an EP, but certainly not an LP. This is likely the greatest downside of this release.

Nevertheless, LnC has a solid grasp of their genre, with the music more than trumping the image. (Note the tacky outfits at the right). They have a solid rock groove with a metal edge wrapped in solid melodies with more than a few hooks. New Solution, Hold On, Poison Love (with a nice acoustic segue about three minutes in), and Rise are straight up rockers. Rise could also fit with the later song Breathe as a true rock anthem. The bonus track Runaway is questionable; it ends better than it starts. Maybe it would have been better to attempt a cover of the Bon Jovi number of the same name.

While some will surely call it derivative and cliche of the genre, Playing With Thunder is a solid start for Loud N Clear, which seems, at this point, to put a musical substance rather than poser pretense . Next time, however, they'll need to provide a full platter of tunes to prove they're up to the challenge. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

With Neon Light Resurrection, Addiction For Destruction offers derivative American style melodic sleaze hard rock, with questionable results.

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eviewing my archives, I was pleased to find that I have had the privilege to review every Lionville since their self-titled debut in 2011. Formed by Stefano Lionetti, a songwriter, singer and guitarist based in ... [ Read More ]