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Wild Souls: Game Of Love
Wild Souls Game Of Love CD Album Review

Wild Souls: Game Of Love

Melodic Hard Rock/Metal
4.5/5.0

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Lions Pride Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 27.10.2016

It's appropriate that I write this review on a Thursday. Throwback Thursday as it's often called in the social media universe. Wild Souls, a quintet hailing from Greece, play classic hard rock like it's 1988. They return with their second long-player, Game Of Love on Denmark's Lions Pride Music label, and the album is pretty killer.

Wild Souls Band Photo

Wild Souls

I gave most everything away in that first paragraph. Suffice to repeat, yet with some embellishment, Wild Souls plays classic Eighties melodic hard rock with more than a little metal edge. They work the musical elements that made the genre famous: twin guitar harmony in riffage with soaring solos, a strong and persuasive rhythm section delivering true rock groove, and clean, melodic and harmonious, vocal arrangements. Then, as they should, they wrap all these thing in melodic arrangements with crafty hooks and catchy refrains. All this lends to ear pleasing tunes with an arena ready vibe and AOR accessibility. The production is nearly immaculate, crisp and clean. Of all these things, if there's a stand out element it has to be the guitar work. The solos across this album are extravagant and abundant. Impressive lines come right at the start within the title cut, but other favorites are found within Riding, Rock My World, Moonlight.

As for the songs, excepting a ballad, all are straight up rockers with some variety. Some examples. Game Of Love has quick pace and sharp riffs. Shame On You starts and turns on a strong choral refrain, yet moves by a steady pace. Moonlight draws upon some smart and smooth guitar licks to start, then moving into steady riffage. A slight breakdown comes about two-thirds in leading to a harmonious, skyrocketing solo. Yet the strongest song here may be Pretty Babe. It has this latent blues feel with a shuffle that churns along, perhaps reminding some of early Whitesnake. As for the ballad, One More Night several things can be said. The piano line is nice as is the concluding guitar solo. Conversely, it's too long, dragging along, making it seem boring. Nevertheless, in the context of a whole album of otherwise terrific songs it finds a place.

What shall we conclude then? Without doubt, with Game Of Love, Wild Souls delivers another fine and entertaining album of classic melodic hard rock, touched with a crisp metal edge and abounding in terrific guitar work. Easily recommended.

Wild Souls - Dirty Mind


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The Bottom Line

Without doubt, with Game Of Love, Wild Souls delivers another fine and entertaining album of classic melodic hard rock, touched with a crisp metal edge and abounding in terrific guitar work. Easily recommended.

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