Guitarist Josh Ramos (Hardline, The Storm, Two Fires) needs little introduction in the melodic rock scene, where he has made a very strong name for himself over the years, and here he is with the debut album by a band bearing his own name. The thing is, this is not actually a band, in that he has been joined by Tony Morra on drums and bassist Fabrizio Grossi, and then called in loads of favours. What this means is that instead of one singer, we get a whole host in Eric Martin (Mr Big), Danny Vaughn (Tyketto), Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Joe Retta (Heaven & Earth), Terry Ilous (XYZ), John Bisaha (The Babys), Tony Harnell (ex-TNT), and the last recorded performance from the late Tony Mills (ex-Shy).

The result is something which is definitely more project than band, as each singer has put his own stamp on the song, with some far more bluesy, while others are almost glam rock in their approach. Some of the songs have real depth, while others feel way shallower, but what is weird is that each song works better on its own as opposed to being part of an album, so if this were released as a compilation it would almost make more sense. There is no doubt that for many fans of melodic hard rock this is going to be high up in their personal charts at the end of the year, yet there is a lack of continuity that I find hard to get past. I hope that for the next album Ramos puts together a band of the same name, that they gig (when it is possible to do so) and then go into the studio so they come together as a single unit as opposed to a group of individuals. This has great performances but does not connect as it could.

Rating: 7/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/joshramosmusic/
https://www.frontiers.it/