If I wanted to be ironic, I would say that a Tyketto reunion is exactly what the world has been holding its breath for. Because Tyketto are one of those bands that came into the scene just a little too late. Their debut album Don’t Come Easy came out in 1991, the last of the good years for melodic rock and spawned a mini hit in ”Forever Young”, today a classic in melodic rock / AOR circles. But when the follow up Strength In Numbers was released two years later, the melodic scene had already been destroyed by grunge. Lead singer Danny Vaughn left shortly after and the band released one more CD, Shine, with singer Steve Augeri (Tall Stories, Journey), but to no avail and the band split.
But a couple of years ago, the original line up decided to reform and play some festivals together, mostly for nostalgic reasons but the feedback was so positive that the band decided to have a go at a new album. So, did they guys manage to make an album that would please the old fans and maybe attract some new ones?
First, they have recorded a great album, no doubt about that. Then again, it kind of depends on how conservative you are. The album has received some mixed receptions from the fans, because even though you can easily recognise the melodies the are the band, the style of the music is a bit on
the modern side of rock and also heavier than what we’re used to and my guess is that a lot of fans had expected a sister album to the debut and the the fact that it isn’t might have caused for disappointment. But if you’re listening with an open mind and can embrace the band’s motivation to move forward instead of backwards, there are a whole bunch of goodies for you here.
”Faithless” is a brilliant opener and one of those songs on the heavier side and so is ”Sound Off”, a great song with a modern twist. But if you want the classic Tyketto sound, there are several brilliant tracks like ”Here’s Hoping It Hurts”, the ultra catchy ”The Fight Left In Me” and the killer groovy title track. ”Battle Lines” is an uptempo ballad with a great hook and the finishing tune ”This Is How We Say Goodbye” is one beautiful ballad, not unlike the fantastic ”Standing Alone” from their debut. To my ears, this is a great come back album and proves that Tyketto were never just a bandwagon jumping act, trying to cash in on what was popular at the time, but a true rock band with their hearts in the melodic side of it.
Just like bands like Europe, they refuse to just try and redo what they have already done, but instead move forward without losing any identity. Please, don’t let this album be a one off. These guys deserves to make it for real this time.
Jon Wilmenius (8/10)
Tracklist:
01. Faithless
02. Love To Love
03. Here’s Hoping It Hurts
04. Battle Lines
05. The Fight Left In Me
06. Evaporate
07. Monday
08. Dig In Deep
09. Sound Off
10. Let This One Slide
11. This Is How We Say Goodbye
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