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░ ██ ██ Artist: Khymera ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: The Grand Design █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2015 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2016-02-08 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Hard Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Avalon ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ While the Khymera project started out as an █
█ alliance between Italian producer/musician, █
█ Daniele Liverani and then Kansas singer Steve █
█ Walsh, it actually developed into a regular █
█ musical project when Pink Cream 69/Unisonic █
█ bassist and producer Dennis Ward came into the █
█ picture. █
█ While known as a bassist, Dennis always sings █
█ background vocals with his bands, so it was quite █
█ interesting for many fans to hear his voice taking █
█ the lead on the Khymera albums ôA New Promiseö and █
█ ôThe Greatest Wonderö. While the project went on █
█ hiatus for some time, it was a natural choice for █
█ Dennis to grab the reins and take complete control █
█ (both on the songwriting and on the production █
█ side) of the new album, ôThe Grand Designö, which █
█ comes 7 years after the release of ôThe Greatest █
█ Wonderö. █
█ Musically, the new album very much follows along █
█ the logical progression of the musical path that █
█ was started a few years ago. Basically if you are █
█ a fan of the previous two Khymera/Ward fronted █
█ offerings, then the third installment will be no █
█ big surprise in what you are expecting, and it █
█ showcases the fantastic vocal abilities of Dennis █
█ Ward and highlights his great skills as a █
█ songwriter and producer. █
█ The keys running through the opener æNever Give Up █
█ On YouÆ sees Khymera trying to out-Journey █
█ Journey! Think on the lines of æBe Good To █
█ YourselfÆ and youÆre not far off the mark with █
█ this tune. æIn æTell Me SomethingÆ its KhymeraÆs █
█ æclassic Bon JoviÆ era sound being achieved and █
█ WardÆs vocals are crisp and clean û no need for a █
█ lyric sheet here folks! æSay What You WantÆ is a █
█ song I could imagine being played on the TV show █
█ Nashville, think of it as US country rock meets █
█ Daughtry. █
█ Ragno obviously takes his lead from the likes of █
█ Cain and Rolie as æA Night To RememberÆ certainly █
█ has more than a passing nod to Journey. ItÆs by no █
█ way a criticism, its hard earned praise. For æThe █
█ Land Of Golden DreamsÆ Ward sounds a cross between █
█ Gary Hughes and Sambora and makes it one of the █
█ best songs on the album. █
█ For a band that practices what it preaches, then a █
█ ballad or two wouldnÆt be amiss. The boxes are █
█ well and truly ticked on the heartwarming █
█ æStreetlightsÆ and æWhere Is The LoveÆ. ItÆs the █
█ former that manages to drag you in and tear you █
█ apart as it builds up to a ælighter-wavingÆ █
█ crescendo. █
█ Khymera still offers one of the most shining █
█ examples of what great European Melodic Rock is █
█ all about: crystal clear production, soaring █
█ vocals, killer musicianship and songwriting that █
█ reminds fans of the heydays of the genre when █
█ bands like Giuffria, Icon, and Signal ruled the █
█ airwaves. Khymera is a worthy addition to be █
█ mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned █
█ bands. █
█ If it was 1988 and Khymera were American then they █
█ would be absolutely massive. The US tends to stick █
█ to what it knows (lots of airplay for the classics █
█ such as Foreigner / Journey / Styx etc), if youÆre █
█ reading this across the pond then you could expand █
█ your horizon and listen to a band that knows how █
█ to perform AOR at its purest form. █
█ Whilst thereÆs been a lot of average stuff peddled █
█ in 2015, æThe Grand DesignÆ proves to be one of █
█ the better ones, and it is certainly an album that █
█ deserves many repeated listens, as few bands play █
█ melodic rock at this quality. There is enough █
█ present here to keep the AOR masses very happy █
█ indeed. Decent songs, great production, and Ward █
█ shows again why we should hear a lot more of him █
█ than we currently do. This is exactly they type of █
█ band that HRH AOR/Rockingham etc need to get their █
█ mitts on. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Never Give up on You 3:59 ░
░ 2. Tell Me Something 4:41 ░
░ 3. Say What You Want 3:50 ░
░ 4. I Believe 4:35 ░
░ 5. A Night to Remember 4:29 ░
░ 6. She's Got the Love 4:12 ░
░ 7. Land of Golden Dreams 4:43 ░
░ 8. The Grand Design 4:04 ░
░ 9. Streetlights 4:34 ░
░ 10. Who's Foolin' Who? 4:37 ░
░ 11. Finally 4:23 ░
░ 12. Where is the Love? 4:16 ░
░ 13. Streetlights (Remix) 3:17 ░
░ 55:40 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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