Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Peterik & Scherer
Label: Frontiers Records
Release: 2015
Runtime: 52:29
Rating: 4.5/5
Jim Peterik needs no special introduction. The former central figure of AOR giants Survivor, a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and producer, he’s regarded as one of the most distinguished and polished arrangers and songwriters of the entire AOR era. Ever since he left Survivor, the band has been completely unable to cobble together a new studio album. That alone shows what a powerhouse songwriter Peterik is. He was an essential part of the face and the work of Survivor. And that essence has now moved elsewhere.
Peterik came across vocalist Marc Scherer when he was present at the recording of Scherer’s vocals for the band Arc of Ages at Burr Ridge studio in the middle of Chicago. Peterik made no secret of his delight at Marc’s vocal performance, so he invited him to record on the Pride of Lions album »Immortal«, where Scherer’s backing vocals meshed perfectly with Toby Hitchcock’s lead. Thrilled, Peterik decided that he and Marc would one day have to record and release an album together.
And so the Peterik / Scherer project was born, and the album »Risk of Everything« came to life. Peterik remains incredible. Recycling and repackaging motifs that have been turned over a thousand times, the stuff AOR has been full of since the eighties, is still his turf. In this business he’s become a real guru and grand master, someone few can stand next to, whether on his solo studio work, in the context of writing for Pride of Lions, or on the records of other artists. Speaking of which, we can’t overlook his partnership with the late former Survivor singer Jimi Jamison. Peterik regularly wrote music for Jamison’s solo studio albums. Like it or not, Scherer is basically a kind of replacement for that established Peterik ritual, which stirs up moments of big nostalgia on »Risk of Everything«. Jamison is gone, but »Risk of Everything« is more than a fitting tribute to his legacy. Let’s not mince words: »Risk of Everything« is a first-class AOR/west coast rock album.
All eleven songs completely win you over. Once again Peterik’s virtues leave you stunned: the incredible polish, the routine, the finely tuned arranging ingenuity that keeps everything creatively fresh. In short intervals he cranks out top-notch AOR compositions like on a conveyor belt, and there’s no end in sight. This is an album tailor-made for everyone who loves the work of Survivor, Jim Peterik’s solo work, Jimi Jamison’s solo work, and anything that smells of west coast AOR principles! The songs stand side by side on the album as total equals and offer a satisfying amount of variety within the genre limits of AOR. Among them, I’ll single out (as my personal favorite) Cold Blooded, which delivers perfect artistic west coast brilliance and flawless songwriting, steeped in a feeling of nostalgia. In its dramatic chorus melody, the song hits a huge atmospheric crescendo. In the eighties it would have been an ultra hit had Survivor recorded and released it. You’ll have to find your favorites on this album yourself, but among the tracks, The Dying of the Light also grabs you instantly with its brilliant bombast and ultra-melodic catchiness. The ballad How Long Is the Moment is written straight for one of the artists cited above, and Journey would adopt it very quickly too. Most of the songs carry an uplifting, solemnly adorned mood, which has always been the trademark of Peterik’s compositions for Survivor, Pride of Lions, etc…
Scherer blends the vocal qualities of Hitchcock and Jamison, and his voice is also comparable to that of the late Brad Delp (Boston), as well as Rob Moratti (solo, Final Frontier, ex-Saga) and Michael Sweet (Stryper). He fits Peterik’s songwriting style like a glove. Scherer squeezes five vocal octaves out of himself. His voice kills at every single moment. He stuns with a superior combination of power, carrying it into every register, and melodic purity. Scherer is also a hugely convincing and deft vocal “juggler” in the softer parts of the songs, where a particularly delicate and sensual approach is called for.
The songs have it all. A phenomenal build-up of mood from verse to chorus with pompous crescendos in the chorus melodies, finely crafted “mid-eight” sections where the guitars spread their wings in the solos and bring a fitting modulation of melody and mood. Peterik dressed everything up with extra guitar ornaments in the passages and with synthesizers humming in the background, the keyboards are often pushed into an equal role with the guitars, and he piled on the bombast with AOR’s most powerful weapon: vocal harmonies that pinpoint-wrap Scherer’s main vocal lines!
»Risk of Everything« is a product you can’t add anything to, let alone take anything away from. The only remark is that it draws from tried and already heard musical material. But given that Peterik is really the musician who contributed a big stone to the mosaic of shaping and defining the AOR sound and style of the eighties, any hint of recycling is pretty much redundant. This is a work of artistic brilliance in the style of a great master!
Peterik / Scherer – Cold Blooded (official video):
Lineup
Marc Scherer – vocals, backing vocals
Jim Peterik – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals
Mike Aquino – guitar
Klem Hayes – bass guitar
Bob Lizik – bass guitar
Bill Syniar – bass guitar
Ed Breckenfeld – drums
Nick Rich – drums
Production
Jim Peterik
Track list
1. Risk Everything
2. Chance Of A Lifetime
3. Cold Blooded
4. Desperate In Love
5. Thee Crescendo
6. The Dying Of The Light
7. How Long Is A Moment
8. Brand New Heart
9. Broken Home
10. Milestones
11. Independence Day
