RSS Feed


SWEET & LYNCH
Only To Rise

Frontiers (2015)
Rating: 9/10

Sweet & Lynch is the rather unimaginative band moniker featuring Michael Sweet (Stryper) and George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken et al). Mr. Lynch has rarely put a foot wrong in his amazing career and shredded his way through the decades like some wizard with a magic potion to allow him to reinvent himself – just check out his fabulous work with Souls Of We and KXM.

This time, not only has Lynch teamed up with those sugar-coated pipes of Sweet but there’s also the inclusion of bassist James LoMenzo, who has featured for Megadeth, White Lion and Black Label Society, and the percussive talents of ex-Whitesnake sticksman Brian Tichy.

So, with this formation in mind we head off into the depths of Only To Rise expecting a musical masterpiece to chill the spine and rattle the bones. It’s no surprise then to discover that this is another ultra-cool heavy rock foray for Lynch and his trio of chums who in sprightly fashion charge through 12 molten metal melodies tinged with Sweet’s ever so delightful sneers.

First up we have the mercurial strains of ‘The Wish’ which is super-charged by George Lynch’s metallic licks and contrasted by Michael Sweet’s subtle tones. I guess we all knew what was coming with this opus but it’s intriguing to hear that marrying of different styles, because while it was obvious that Lynch’s guitar sound was going to be so rollicking it’s great to hear an edgier aspect to Sweet’s crystal clear croons. Above all, though, this album is really stabilised by Tichy’s infectious skin slams and that thudding LoMenzo bass.

For four musicians of such quality to join forces and come up with the goods isn’t as much a formality as one would think, but the songs on offer are expertly crafted to the point that each anthem stands alone as a masterclass in melodic metal which is more than happy to take a hefty nod to the 70s and 80s.

For instance, ‘Like A Dying Rose’ has a fizzing swagger of intensity as Sweet barks that “Life is what you make, it’s all up to you or so they say” amidst a trembling sea of prodding percussion and Lynch’s layers of molten axe-work. I guess it’s obvious for one to notice hints of Dokken, but I can also hear the soulful sways of Bad Company which the press release speaks of. This is down to Sweet’s effortless style of voice; in a sense, the most understated of the talent on offer and yet so pivotal to fuse together the harder, pulsating journeys as well as those reflective moments such as ‘Love Stays’ where the drum nod is just a little too intrusive initially. But Sweet & Lynch is all about marrying the rough with the smooth; Lynch’s guitar literally aches through ‘Love Stays’ as he teases us with those fiery solos which cavort with Sweet’s dulcet tones.

With ‘Me Without You’ the band wades through even more delicate terrain; Sweet really owns this simmering track which again features another killer solo and Tichy’s steady rhythm. But for those expecting Lynch to tear down the walls, then look no further than huge, orgasmic grooves of ‘Strength In Numbers’ featuring an almost funky strut alongside a throbbing synth, while ‘Hero-Zero’ has a mesmeric quality; the band almost aping Slaughter and the likes as they moved into mid-90s experimentation. Indeed, there are times on Only To Rise when the posse harken back to the kaleidoscopic days of the early 90s when so many bands were injecting more colour into their sound to create an almost funkier groove. ‘Hero-Zero’ reflects this, but also brings a soulful 70s vibe of chunkiness.

Elsewhere, there is another interesting rocker in the form of ‘Time Will Tell’, which is again sewn together by that driving bass, a trudging guitar and Sweet’s ascending foray on that infectious chorus. Literally every track smokes; the band never once resorting to filler to pack out the album. In fact, this is about as tight and concise as a modern rock record gets – the quartet existing as one lean, mean killing machine which lays on its grooves thick and fast, enveloping the listener with the mighty driving ‘Recover’ where Sweet steals the show with those high-pitched cries. Meanwhile, the intricate strut of ‘September’ and the equally cool title track with its rattling percussion and dazzling solo can only add weight and quality to such a well-rounded opus.

I guess if I had to be pushed for a flaw then maybe I expected a sprig of extra heaviness; after all, Lynch can turn his hand to any style. But for me, in spite of the Sweet & Lynch moniker, this album is very much a joint effort and one which also exhibits what to some might be the less obvious talents of Tichy and LoMenzo against the leviathan that is Lynch and Sweet. Only To Rise succeeds in that it isn’t a composition comprising of well-massaged egos, and so with all forces crystallizing in such a natural manner this debut effort is only predictable due to its obvious melodic brilliance. Let’s hope it’s not just a one-off.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share