Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Pink Cream 69
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2007
It’s truly unbelievable to hear a band that still sounds as fresh after twenty years as Pink Cream 69 do in 2007. What’s more, they’ve probably put out the best record of their long career, one that can easily stand next to the debut Pink Cream 69 or its excellent follow-up One Size Fits All. Their later releases swung from average to outright misfires, and they only got back into form with Electrified and Sonic Dynamite, then slid into serious mediocrity again with the last record, Thunderdome. But the intensity has been cranked up to the max, and Pink Cream 69 are coming back stronger than ever.
In10sity is a record without a single dull moment. They clearly saw for themselves that the experimental last album wasn’t the right move, and they’re heading back down the old road of great melodic metal, or hard rock. The very first track, Children of the Dawn, is a superb “rocker” that hits you right away, then comes another “rocker”, and another, and another… They couldn’t have picked a better title for the record – intensity in the truest sense of the word. And that intensity keeps building through the whole album.
So Pink Cream 69 have gone back to a modern, heavy, yet melodic and seriously catchy sound. Tracks like Children of the Dawn and Out of This World sound like proper heavy metal wrecking balls, while songs like Crossfire or Wanna Hear You Rock are a return to the band’s roots with a modern twist. It’s really hard to pick out the best moments on the record, but I’d name the excellent opener Children of the Dawn, I’m Not Afraid (with a chorus so catchy it’s almost scary) and My Darkest Hour.
And that’s exactly where the record’s only flaw lies. Of course In10sity is no different from any other album – some tracks are better than others. But the better songs here are so good that they completely overshadow the rest, which are still very good but quickly start to feel merely average.
If you’re going to buy the record, go for the edition with the excellent bonus track My Darkest Hour, which has the real sound of this album but surprises with a slightly darker mood. The band deserves praise for putting the slow ballad Last Train to Nowhere, which is way too sugary for my taste, at the very end of the record, so it doesn’t break up the album’s great pace.
What really turns In10sity into a great record is the incredible, fantastic vocal of David Readman, whose voice, with its exceptional tone and melodicity, fits the music like a glove. The instrumental side of the band doesn’t lag far behind either, especially the guitar duo of Alfred Koffler and Uwe Reitenauer. And it’s all topped off by excellent, sharp production, thanks to the great producer Dennis Ward (who has already worked with Angra, for example).
No two ways about it, Pink Cream 69 have surprised us with a great record and maybe even outdone themselves. Fans of melodic metal or hard rock, whatever you want to call it – In10sity is the release for you!
Lineup
David Readman – vocals
Alfred Koffler – guitar
Uwe Reitenauer – guitar
Dennis Ward – bass guitar
Kosta Zafiriou – drums
Jochen Weiher – piano and keyboards on Last Train to Nowhere
Production
Dennis Ward
Track list
1. Children of the Dawn
2. No Way Out
3. Crossfire
4. I’m Not Afraid
5. A New Religion
6. The Hour of Freedom
7. Stop This Madness
8. Desert Land
9. Out of This World
10. It’s Just A State of Mind
11. Wanna Hear You Rock
12. My Darkest Hour (European bonus)
13. Last Train to Nowhere
