Rich’s Rapidfire Recommendations – bite-sized metal morsels to let you know about albums that have grabbed Rich Davenport by the ears, that we hope you’ll enjoy too! ROCK ON!
Artist: JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13
Album: “Dying To Live”
Label: Frontiers Music Srl
Released: October 16th, 2015
Tracklisting:
01. Say Goodbye To The Sun
02. Anymore
03. Until I Left You
04. Long For The Days
05. Scream
06. Never Say Never
07. Changes
08. The Only Way To Go
09. Dying To Live
10. Start Again
11. What We Believe
Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Dying To Live. Described as being akin to Dio at its heaviest, and in the vein of Foreigner in its lighter moments, this opening salvo from Joel Hoekstra’s 13 delivers 11 high-quality Hard Rock and Heavy Metal songs. It also gives Joel more room to show his impressive capabilities as a songwriter and lead guitarist, after a lengthy stint with Night Ranger, during which he contributed in both of those areas. He’s also arranged all the material and taken on the role of producer – nice work Mr H! This is one fine album! Very catchy songs, smokin’ solos from Joel, and the added attraction of hearing an all-star cast of musicians, including Jeff Scott Soto (Journey/Yngwie Malmsteen) and Russell Allen (Adrenaline Mob/Symphony X) on lead vocals, Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/Dio) on drums and Tony Franklin (The Firm/Blue Murder) on bass, bringing their A-game to hammer home each track. All in all, “Dying To Live” is a very enjoyable record that lets the talents of Joel Hoekstra shine brightly, and suggests that he’ll be a valuable addition in his recently acquired role with Whitesnake. If you like your Metal melodic and your Hard Rock heavy, check it out!
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 