Stephen Here I raise a glass of beer to an unexpected blistering release of an unsigned band, Loveblast. Their eponymous debut which comprised of eleven high-quality glam-fueled tracks is very amusing and emotionally provoking, especially if you like classic bands such as Motley Crue, Scorpions, or Poison. Without being whole fully trapped in a nostalgic atmosphere, Loveblast decided to up the ante with some fresh modern element and they managed to pull it out nicely.

"Harder n Faster" is a huge opener. By the moment you hear the "knokk em dead" punctual shout, you know this is an ode to Motley Crue. The riffs are heavily inspired by that band and if Vince Neil sang this one, you probably will think this is a lost track from "Shout" era. "Headspin" reminds me a lot of Scorpions style, they put up a nice harmony and great chorus as well. "Got A Feeling" and "Far Too Long" are commercial bliss, too modern for some maybe, I felt the arrangement is kinda similar to Simple Plan/Green Day type of stuff, could be a shiny summer ride soundtrack to a teenage flick.

The thing that I love most here is the twin harmonic guitarworks of Durbin/Spadavecchia, reminiscent of the great duo of Sweet/Fox from Stryper. One thing that been bugging me is that Durbin's vocal is a bit boy-ish and less hard rocking, I can see him fronting bands like SR-71, Every Avenue, or even Green Day easily. On the positive side, the register control handled perfectly and he's able to swing swiftly from the soothing ballad of "Lonely Winter", to the sleazy slap of "Things That Bites", and even the heavy metal stuff of "Out For Blood".

Loveblast definitely deserved a big contract from the major label, they got the quality to succeed, if only this was released in 1986, they probably can score big time. The production level is also very smooth and nice. For an indie release, this is a satisfying result. I wish them the best and lookin' forward to their next release. A big recommendation for fans of guitar-based melodic hard rock/glam metal!