Joel Hoekstra’s 13 - Crash Of Life.
JOEL HOEKSTRA’S 13
'CRASH OF LIFE'
(Frontiers)
By Paul Davies
Informed by his currently dormant day job in Whitesnake, Hoekstra has busied himself forging a new Melodic Metal sheet of music with his current 13 solo side project. 'Crash Of Life' is brimming with punchy sonic delights. To start, 'Everybody Knows Everything' reveals wailing, chugging guitars with new singer Girish Pradhan particularly impressing with his throaty power. Furthermore, Hoekstra has re-assembled a formation of star players as Vinny Appice, drums; Tony Franklin, bass; Derek Sherinian, keyboards; and Jeff Scott Soto adding bvs creates a peerless bed of Hard Rock over which all players polish their diamond skills.
The riotous explosion of compositions continues the Heavy Melodic flourish on the title track in which Hoekstra detonates a bomb of notes on incendiary lead guitar. 'Damaged Goods' is a never knowingly undersold guaranteed slab of brain rattling Heavy Rock driven by Appice's imposing pounding skills. Ticking off a box, on the huge Rock Power ballad Torn Into Lies, with a mighty scrawl of instrumentation, Sherinian and Hoekstra sophisticatedly combine to allow Pradhan to fully showcase his dynamic vocals. As much is true on 'Over You'. As the deep anchor beneath these tracks, Tony Franklin is Rock solid whilst dexterously exploring the neck of his bass when the songs demand. On this album, there's an unabated understanding of how to create, and deliver, classy Hard Melodic Rock that leaves you breathless.
Reassuringly, the breadth and depth of Rock stylings continues with the back-to-back pairing of 'I Would Cry For Love' and 'Don't Have Words' - which wouldn't be out of place on a modern day Whitesnake album. They double down on the deeply mined denim on denim nuances of this Hard Rock genre. Interestingly, 'You're Right For Me' is a Blues Rock tune based around a slide riff that has a nod and a cheeky wink to old school ‘Snake. As the dreamy final track, 'Through The Night', draws a glittering curtain on this genre enriching album, one must tip the hat to master of ceremonies, Joel Hoekstra, who handled the bulk of the creative process, overseeing production, songwriting and arrangements and also this band of players who excel together, and in their own right, throughout this stunning recording.