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WANTED
Chain Reaction

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 9/10

I know very little about this young American band from Michigan, and feel guilty for it because they have produced a superb melodic metal album that sounds like it was issued in the late 80s due to its strong melodious streaks and effortless hooks.

There’s some solid metal on here though, reminding me of countless 80s acts who got batted away due to being apparently all too pompous in design yet fizzing with an energy and subtle steel. I love the vocals which have an airy feel to them, and everything feels crisp and breezy, hinting towards the likes of Ratt, Dokken and often lighter tones, and after just one listen I was hooked on this steaming composition. I just wish the band had a more recognisable moniker, something edgier to match the simmering music within.

When I first put this on I played the first three songs at least five times in a row stunned by their effortless grace, but I also gulped in the darker guitar work, particularly with the excellent ‘Outta Love’ which begins like a ballad but chugs with a killer riff.

Opener ‘Don’t Leave Yourself Behind’ trots in on a glammy pop percussive beat and then toys the ears with a bubblegum hook and those nostalgic vocal croons. However, this is not an album that sticks to one route, but what it does do is rock with whichever path it chooses, like the flighty ‘No Warning’ which again boasts that Ratt-like edginess with its riffage.

If, like me, you finally step into the waters of the rest of the record after being blown away by those opening trio of tracks then you’ll be mesmerised by the harmonious White Lion-esque ‘Reason’, the slow-tempo strut of ‘Bite The Bullet’, and the muscular thrashy nuances of ‘Give When It’s Given’.

This really is a fantastic hard rock album and I could imagine dear Kelv Hellrazer (R.I.P), our much missed former Metal Forces colleague, lapping this one up and drooling over the timeless sway of ‘Let Me’, while the stunning axe work and almost funky coolness of ‘Whisky Man’ will have you slipping onto the dance floor to become one with the sleazy swagger.

Chain Reaction is one of the biggest surprises of the year; a wholesome yet deftly crafted hard rock extravaganza culminating in the splendidly self-indulgent axe fest of closer ‘Retrospective’. Don’t miss this one if you have a penchant for melodic 80s hard rock with style.

Neil Arnold

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