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First Signal: Closer To The Edge
First Signal - Closer To The Edge Album Art

First Signal: Closer To The Edge

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
4.5/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.04.2022 | Released: 08.04.2022

With their fourth album, Closer To The Edge, First Signal makes their return to the classic melodic rock fold. The band continues to feature vocalist Harry Hess and producer/drummer Daniel Flores (took over for Dennis Ward some years back). While all the First Signal albums have featured Hess at the core, the albums have been a collaborative effort with many recognized genre musicians. This album includes contributions from Pete Alpenborg (Arctic Rain), Guillermo Del Medio (Inner Stream), and Kristian Fyhr (Seventh Crystal) to name only a few.

Harry Hess Click For Larger Image

Harry Hess

Yet, the main constant remains: First Signal offers fans classic melodic hard rock with some metal edge, but always wrapped up in AOR sensibility. While vocalist Harry Hess may be at the forefront as an exceptional melodic rock vocalist, I've always been impressed by the quality of the tunes. With Flores at the production helm, you can expect three things: a strong rhythm section (from his drummer muse), a touch of keyboards, piano to synths, and simply deliberately catch tunes. That last piece is mostly found in song melody, vocal and guitar harmony and, of course, a memorable chorus. Add some fine guitar solos, and all these things suggest create an AOR melodic rock perfect storm. Examples rise with I Don't Want To Feel The Night Is Over, Don't Look Away, or Closer To The Edge where the rock groove is brisk and potent. Perhaps a tad heavier is Show Me The Way, notably in the riffs and rhythm section, yet you can dispute the vocal arrangement which tempers all things. That aforementioned piano line rise within One More Time and Angel With A Rose. The former is a more heavy rising anthem, the latter a more true ballad (at least for some listeners. All in all, First Signal's Closer To The Edge is another potent platter featuring Harry Hess's strong vocals and a bey of finely-crafted melodic hard rock tunes with AOR presence. Easily recommended, especially to fans of the genre.




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The Take Away

All in all, First Signal's Closer To The Edge is another potent platter featuring Harry Hess's strong vocals and a bey of finely-crafted melodic hard rock tunes with AOR presence. Easily recommended, especially to fans of the genre.

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