Stephen If anything related between Von Groove and Triumph is aside from the fun fact that they're both a Canadian rock trio, singer/drummer Michael Shotton actually contributed some of his songwriting to Triumph before eventually created his own band and released their debut in 1992. Von Groove is a melodic hard rock outfit which sounded like Fair Warning meets Giant and mixed with Hardline. I remember knowing this band from their ballad, "Once In A Lifetime", from a radio which resembled a typical Firehouse acoustical piece and amazed me instantly.

Von Groove's debut has a string of great songs and not just a one-hit record, from the powerful starter, "Once Is Not Enough" that reminds me of the punchy vibe of Bon Jovi's "Bad Medicine", cool midtempo rockers with great chorus of "Better Than Ever" and "House of Dreams", an affecting passionate ballad of "Arianne", to the great epilogue of "Sweet Pain". Another worth checking tracks are "Every Beat of My Heart" and "Love Keeps Bringing Home".

This album is not without flaws, you can still stumble on some average tracks such as "Can't Get Too Much", "All The Way Down", or "Slave To Sin", but lavish of strong tunes, great vocals, catchy hooks, and tight plays, Von Groove's eponymous release fully deserved a four-stars rating and safe to be claimed as one of the great heritage of the early 90s melodic rock album.