Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Signal Red
Label: Escape Music
Release: 2018
Length: 53:01
Rating: 4/5
Signal Red are a new band, but one fronted by seasoned British musicians. Yep. The Signal Red story comes from the British Isles, and when we’re talking melodic hard rock from that corner of the planet, you can expect it to come with some artistic quirks. Now, unlike their contemporaries, if we compare the band members’ ages (the ID-number kind, that is), Signal Red are a bit more »sharpened«, meaning they leave room for distorted, tightly wound guitar riffage, which is solidly backed by rustling orchestrations (strings) and synths. The keyboards open up space for atmosphere and take care of dramatizing the moods, with a far-from-negligible note of pomp running through the songs. Yep. The chorus melodies strive for a predatory, contagious catchiness that ignites on the very first listen. They come loaded with multi-part vocal harmonies, of course. In terms of songwriting, it’s a craftily honed album whose only bad luck is perhaps that a revision of AOR music was done long before it.
Signal Red brings together two prominent names of the British rock scene, guitarist Steve Grocott (Ten, Sevendayz) and vocalist Lee Small (Phenomena / Shy / Lionheart). The ideas for this album started taking shape back in 2013, when Grocott put Sevendayz on ice and reached out to Small, having read and heard a lot about him thanks to his contribution to the latest Shy album. Small and Grocott quickly found common ground, but they had to wait a little longer before moving forward with Signal Red, because of Grocott’s commitments to Ten, who were heading out on a short UK tour at the time.
The songs carry a touch of island melancholy, though it only surfaces now and then. Otherwise, »Under the Radar« is a seriously uplifting and positive album that grabs you with »festive« bombast and, as mentioned, with the creation of ultra-catchy chorus melodies. Small takes an approach that isn’t as »soulful« as on his work with, say, Surveillance, leaning instead toward a vocal style close to the latest Lionheart and Shy albums. Speaking of Shy, »Under the Radar« seeks out a connection with those fine (and sadly late) veterans of British AOR, only it’s, as I said, much more sharpened when it comes to emphasizing guitar riffs. Interestingly, the album only lets up after the opening assault with its fourth song (Tell It To the Bees).
Signal Red have a recognizable, confessional character and pedigree. They try to capture the greatness of Shy’s last era, and they’re comparable to the latest era of the Phenomena project too, but compared to Ten, it’s a completely different story. As far as Ten go, the only sensible parallel is that in his arrangements Grocott likewise works intensively on integrating keyboards. But there’s no stylistic kinship, just, as mentioned, the aim of building up bombast in the songs. It’s precisely these keyboards that give the album its AOR stamp, or rather the stamp of flirting with the elements of that »eighties« genre, despite the sharpened guitar content. Grocott is, first and foremost, a guitarist, and the album speaks to the listener through guitars too. The solos are a real feast for the ears, and the guy’s virtues shine fully in the »mid eight« passages.
An album that feels seriously compact and evenly strong from start to finish. It’s tailor-made for fans of the old British-bred AOR school. Especially those of you who are after perfection. Both sonically and compositionally. The soundscape is vividly filled out and delivers highly vibrant atmospheres, while the chorus melodies stick in your memory fast. We can say that Signal Red are another hugely successful story of transforming old-school AOR and hard rock into a melodic rock dossier for new times, with prominent guitar phrasing and another brilliant, piercing vocal performance from the outstanding Lee Small.
Lineup
Lee Small – vocals, backing vocals (Phenomena / Shy / Lionheart)
Steve Grocott – guitar, keyboards, strings (Ten)
Brian J. Anthony – bass guitar (Steve Walsh)
Dave Anthony – drums (Dennis DeYoung)
Production
Brian J. Anthony
Tracklist
1. Defiant (4:36)
2. Houdini (4:05)
3. Stronger (4:57)
4. Tell It To The Bees (3:57)
5. Monster Truck (5:15)
6. Pyramids Of Mars (4:44)
7. Emotions In Motion (4:25)
8. Highwire (4:40)
9. Making Contact (4:15)
10. Goth The Girl (4:04)
11. The Time Machine (7:59)
