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D'Luna: Monster

Heavy Rock

4.0/5.0

Label Facebook
Escape Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 01.03.2024 | Released: 23.02.2024

D'Luna is David De Luna, an American guitarist born in Texas and now living in Los Angeles. And that's about as much as I know about him. I don't know if he has any previous recordings or has played in a band. He does have a Facebook presence. But mostly the facts are sketchy. Monster is his new album on the Escape Music label. The recording musicians include Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Philip Bynoe (Steve Vai) on bass, Dan Meyers on keys, and Oren Halmut on drums. The album also features King's X vocalist and bassist dUg Pinnick on the title track.

Monster features De Luna's songwriting and guitar work, and can best be described as heavy guitar rock, bordering on heavy metal. De Luna's riffs are thick and assertive, his fret work spry, and his solos soaring. Soto on vocals is a perfect match for his sound, simply because Soto does heavy rock himself and quite well. But now Monster sounds like a Jeff Scott Soto album.

Then to speak to some songs and De Luna guitar, you'll find thick heavy, more metal rockers with Blink Of An Eye, Monster, Zombie, and Blackened Heart, but only after its slight smooth start. Rabbit Hole has the same start before turning heavy and quite persussive thanks to the drum and bass line. Speaking to the same, One Truth has a most excellent beginning thanks to Oren Halmut's haunting rhythmic drumming. But then it turns into another punchy heavy rocker.

Alternatively, in the middle of the album are three songs that take a slightly different turn: Believe In Love, One Voice, and 1-2-3. All three are still heavy but the song melody and harmony rise larger, as do the vocal harmonies, especially within One Voice. 1-2-3 also has somehting of a funky groove inhabiting the arrangement. Returning to De Luna's guitar lines, across the album you can expect strong, well-crafted, soaring solos.

All said, if you enjoy guitar-driven heavy rock with punch, groove, tough riffs, and roaring solos, you will enjoy David De Luna's project D'Luna and debut album Monster featuring Jeff Scott Soto on vocals. 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.

If you enjoy guitar-driven heavy rock with punch, groove, tough riffs, and roaring solos, you will enjoy David De Luna's project D'Luna and debut album Monster featuring Jeff Scott Soto on vocals. Recommended.

Support the artist, click the link below to buy the album in your favorite format.

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Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]

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