Just like many artists out there, Adrian Vandenberg’s career has been a sort of a bumpy road. He and his band Vandenberg scored a big hit with “Burning Heart”, the big ballad from their self-titled debut album from 1982 and the follow-up, 1983’s Heading For A Storm kept the band going but didn’t really make them any bigger but when their third album Alibi (1985) never made a step up, quite the contrary, the band disbanded and Adrian showed up in Whitesnake two years later touring a record he wasn’t involved in other than hired to play the solo for “Here I Go Again”, a monster hit. Whitensake was massive in 1987/1988 and the album Adrian wrote with David Coverdale, Slip Of The Tongue (1989), but didn’t play on due to an injury, wasn’t as successful as its predecessor but still a hit album.
Whitesnake went on hiatus in 1992 but resurfaced in 1994 for an American tour where Adrian was involved as the self-titled album with his new outfit Manic Eden – a killer record – didn’t do much business. Vandenberg also co-wrote and played on Restless Heart, a Coverdale solo album released as a Whitesnake album in 1997 and joined its tour. Then it went quiet for a very long time in the Vandenberg camp. It would take until 2017 when Adrian made his comeback with his new outfit Moonkings who released two damn good albums. In 2020 Adrian announced that he had resurrected Vandenberg with new members – singer Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, MSG, Lords Of Black), bassist Randy van den Elsen and drummer Koen Herfst. Mid pandemic they released the comeback record 2020, a really good album. In 2021 Adrian announced that Romero was no longer the singer and that he had hired Swede Mats Levén (Prins Svart, Skyblood, Candlemass, Therion, Treat, Yngwie Malmsteen) and the result of that is now out.
Opener “Thunder And Lightning” is an upbeat, classic Hard Rock stomper where the first couple of Vandenberg albums blends with a spice of Rainbow, Deep Purple and Dio inserted. It’s an edgy tune with a crispy sounding guitar on a lively rhythm where the vocal-melodies grabs a hold immediately. The chorus is quite muscular and comes with a memorable hook. This is very good. Lead off single “House On Fire” is a stone-hard rocker with a ballsy riff, a pumping bass and a kicking drum rhythm. It’s straight forward in structure and really goes for the throat right away. It’s a direct number with an effective chorus that might not bring on lots of hit-potential but it sure shows where the band is going. Good one.
“Sin”, the album’s title-track comes across as Whitesnake’s “Judgement Day”‘s sibling, slow in pace, atmospheric and quite Led Zeppelin-esque where said band’s “Kashmir” dances with “Dio’s “The Last In Line” and Deep Purple’s “Perfect Strangers”. It’s an epic, seven minute number that dwells inside a massive soundscape. A rowdy, 70’s smelling riff rubs shoulders with big almost orchestrated keyboards over a pumping rhythm. Also a single the song will never gain much airplay or become a hit but that’s beside the point. This tune is singled out to show people where the band is now and what the heck they’re missing if they don’t check the album out. The song is magnificent.
Second single “Light It Up” is a busy hard-rocker that brings on a big live-vibe with it’s fierce guitars and kicking-up-dust rhythms. It’s a cracking 80’s rocker made for the arenas with hooky melodies and a fun-loving attitude where the chorus just won’t leave your head once it’s there. Good stuff indeed. “Walking On Water” is a solid foot-stomper with a fat, chunky rhythm on a straight ahead outlook. It both holds an 80’s American Hard Rock touch and bluesy influences with a sing-along friendly refrain. It’s an ok track for sure but it doesn’t linger as the previous tracks does.
Two uptempo rockers follows where the first one, “Burning Skies” isn’t a far cry from the first two Vandenberg records in style. The heavier verses here are punchy and in-your-face whereas the rest of the song comes with an almost funky rhythm, staccato riffage and distinct melodies. It’s a busy and living powerhouse rocker with a contagious refrain. Very good. The second one, “Hit The Ground Running” is a more balls-to-the-wall, in-your-face strike-hard rocker. It’s a manic, fast paced, live-friendly tune, a decent track but it’s also a bit on the anonymous side of things. It works but feels a bit like filler to these ears.
The heart-wrenching power ballad “Baby You’ve Changed” comes on like fine blend of Whitesnake’s “Is This Love” and “The Deeper The Love” with a slight nick to Vandenberg’s old jewel “Once In A Lifetime” thrown in for good measure. It’s a bit upbeat for a ballad with a late 80’s keyboard fattening up the sound. The atmosphere is quite calming, the melodies are smooth, Adrian’s guitar solo is acing with emotion and the chorus is a hit in waiting. Terrific. Levén’s young son Emil takes the intro for “Out Of The Shadows”, a slower and heavier blues-spiced Classic Rock groover with a Zeppelin vibe and also with a chunk of Deep Purple’s “Mistreated”. The song is a 70’s throwback and Adrian’s Arabian influenced solo throws a nod to Rainbow. It’s a muscular number with killer melodies and a distinct chorus. Awesome!
With only nine tracks we get a concise record with songs that almost all of them hit pay-dirt. There’s an obvious glimpse at both Adrian’s time in Whitesnake and the first couple of Vandenberg albums with lots of 70’s Classic Rock and 80’s American Arena Rock put in a blender and sonically the album hits the spot without any issues at all. While the predecessor 2020 was a real good record it also in hindsight feels more like a project while this one’s got the organic vibe of a real band. If you’ve never heard Levén sing before you’ve probably been living under a rock so we all know what he can accomplish and he delivers the goods masterfully here and Adrian, a damn underrated player is as good as ever with a solid rhythm carrying the beat. This is a no-brainer for Vandenberg fans and as a matter of fact, for anyone with a soft spot for melodic Hard Rock.
8/10
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Tracklist:
1. Thunder And Lightning
2. House On Fire
3. Sin
4. Light It Up
5. Walking On Water
6. Burning Skies
7. Hit The Ground Running
8. Baby You’ve Changed
9. Out Of The Shadows
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