Stephen Russian's hard rock band that has a long career started back in 1994, created a buzz when they announce an album full of veteran artists to collaborate with them. Guitar gods such as Nuno and Steve Vai were seen playing some songs, alongside some big names in the likes of Alice Cooper, Glenn Hughes, and Paul Stanley. Comprised of 18 songs and an intro, Pushking is basically taking a bold step to penetrate the saturated hard rock market, in hoping to capture a significant market share, but in the end, the strength of the songs are what matter, and unfortunately those aren't strong enough to make an everlasting impact.

The proportion of slower tunes and the heavier one is balance, but after a careful calculation, Pushking's side apparently favors the former. 'Strangers Song' with John Lawton, 'I Believe' with Jeff Scott Soto, and the bluesy ballad, 'Tonight' with Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa are among the huge numbers that I like. 'Nightrider', 'Nature's Child' with Udo, and 'God Made Us Free' with Graham Bonnet are another interesting songs, but shame on several disappointing tracks, 'Cut The Wire', 'My Reflections', 'Head Shooter', and 'Heroin' are a waste of talent.

Not a bad disc at all but with an overwhelming list of giant names, the hype doesn't live up my expectation. Probably a better move is to reduce the guest singer and instead recruit more prominent songwriter such as Desmond Child, Nikki Sixx, or Erik Martensson. 70% is a fair price for the tag.