Artist: Sahara Rain
Label: Self-released
Release: 2011
Rating: 3.5/5
Don’t confuse this band with the project of Rick Springfield, Bob Marlette and Tim Pierce, ”Sahara Snow”, or with a “potential” House Of Lords tribute band, given everything that’s going around with the word “Sahara”! Sahara Rain are Swiss hard rockers, a sextet formed in 2007. These are musicians with a lot of miles on the musical clock and the experience that comes with them. In 2009 they put out their studio debut “Sand In Your Hands”, which, with its quality, confirmed that a promising new act was on the horizon, an up-and-coming representative of the classic approach to melodic hard rock of the European breed.
“Eternity” is a step forward. The band has grown in every respect with it, especially in songwriting, since it has a few outstanding moments that stand out on the album. As on the debut, for the new Sahara Rain album they once again brought in Michael Bormann, former singer of German hard rockers Jaded Heart. Bormann, who, besides his excellent vocal qualities, is known as a seriously skilled arranger, songwriter and subtle shaper of sound in the studio, adds a hugely important touch to the album. That’s the art of building the harmonic vocal lines that accompany the lead vocal, especially in the choruses. Something you could never imagine good melodic hard rock without.
There’s no deep philosophy in Sahara Rain. Compact songs, faithfully following the melody, with a predictable song structure. Verse – chorus, twice, middle instrumental section and a closing repeat of the chorus. The combo works smoothly, dynamic and lively. The keyboards bring in an important dose of drama theater. The album opener, Heavy Times, the darkest song on the record, flags this right away. It delivers that typical touch that makes it instantly clear we’re talking about the European version of melodic hard rock, as known on the old continent (so, minus Great Britain). The guitars sound alive in the production, and the riffing is pushed a notch forward in the mix. The songs all have the obligatory middle instrumental section, where the guys don’t get lost, but carefully build up the atmosphere, which spills over into its final peak with the last chorus. It’s interesting that Ricci Domenico has a touch of throatiness in his voice, which is otherwise melodic and decisive, strong in its authoritative stance across the album. Interesting because at times he sounds exactly like Michael Bormann, though of course you can’t miss the latter in the shaping of the harmonic, multi-palette vocal lines. So the way the compositions are put together is at times comparable to the early work of bands like Jaded Heart, or to albums by Casanova.
The Swiss have decisively proven in the past that the heritage of real hard rock is no stranger to them. You don’t have to look around for long to bump into names like Gotthard and Krokus. With their presence, Sahara Rain too confidently uphold the reputation and high pedigree of the Swiss approach to hard rock. A few tracks stand out on the album, packing exceptionally catchy melodic hooks in the choruses, like Will I Ever Be, then Holly Warrior, which carries “The Eye Of A Tiger beat and keyboard stance” of Survivor in the verse, and also Love Me Loud (a composition written entirely by Michael Bormann). Shout It Loud, skillfully built up in mood and reaching its atmospheric peak in the chorus, also stands out with its gripping drama theater touch. As the album opener, Heavy Times could easily be swapped out for Starlight, which has a particularly gripping, proper anthem of a chorus, much like Will I Ever Be.
Of course, none of this works without ballads. Miss You, Dreams Die Young and the closing acoustic Since You’ve Been Gone are a necessary enrichment for this album of classic melodic hard rock jurisdiction.
It’s also worth noting the excellent partnership within the lineup, embodied in the gorgeous dialogue between the two guitars and the guitar duels in the solos, never pretentious and always tight, carried out with great care to keep the songs compact. Sahara Rain are a band that will be interesting to all fans of European hard rock, that is, old-continent hard rock, especially the kind coming from German-speaking countries. With this release the band has confirmed that it’s developing and growing upward. “Eternity” is a very pretty melodic hard rock record that leaves room to build on! Sahara Rain are a quality band worth keeping an eye on in the future!
Lineup
Ricci Domenico – vocals, backing vocals
Dave Silhanek – guitar
Adi Honegger – guitar
Bo Rebsamen – keyboards
Boet Dee Haas – bass guitar
Levent Suni – drums
GUEST MUSICIAN
Michael Bormann – backing vocals
Production
Michael Bormann & Gwyn Mathias
Track list
01. Heavy Times
02. Forever Young
03. Will I Ever Be
04. Miss You
05. Holy Warriors
06. Love Me Loud
07. Shout It Out
08. Dreams Die Young
09. Starlight
10. Live Earth
11. Since You’ve Been Gone
