Hard – Even Keel 2011

HARD is a Swedish / Hungarian band that plays just as their name says – Hard Rock. The first thing you will notice in this band’s sound is as if they were pulled out by a time machine straight from 1986. Lodin, the singer, has a strong voice that sounded to me like a mix between DEEP PURPLE‘s Ian Gillian, ACCEPT’s UDO and AC/DC‘s Bon Scott. This record definitely has a nostalgic feel to it, I really felt as if I was driving a corvette back in 1986 while listening while driving.

These guys are doing Hard rock with a very strong American influence, as if it was by the book! Lyrics and music wise, as seen right from the first song, “Truth Or Dare”, are very riff based and the great guitar work by Vámos reminded that you don’t need to play a million notes per second and that Rock & Roll solos are great!

“Speeding Into Slow”is one of my favorites in the album, a great song with a great guitar solo that goes into a break and then an awesome harmony between the guitar and vocals that sounded cool. “Somewhere” is another great one. A ballad that sounds very SKID ROW and CINDERELLA like, and has every single thing that makes a great rock ballad so impressive. Also there are great choruses, strong vocals and a killing guitar solo.

“Scream Out To Be Heard” is the most Metallic song in the album. It started with a smashing guitar solo and goes straightforward into anger with a clear-cut drumming. It is also in my view the most complex song on the album; I even dare to say the only complex song on the album. I think that is the thing with this band. The songs are remarkable; The players are well skilled but there is nothing new here and definitely not fresh. This band is excellent and could have been a classic if they were out in the 80s. But in the year 2011 they just sound a little too old-school, and don’t get me wrong, I love old-school Metal and Hard Rock yet I think that as a professional recording band you need to try to put something brand new even if it’s based on old stuff. I pretty much think that this band sounds too much like others. However, this band is bringing old-school Hard Rock back to its true roots while performing well. This one is definitely a must for 80s Hard Rock fans!

Production wise the album sounds tight and good, just like this kind of record should sound. The vocals are strongly front, the drums and bass are tight as hell and the guitar work is truly excellent. Overall, this is a great Hard Rock album, but i wish that in the future HARD will try to make something unique and not just a great tribute to old times.

1. Truth or Dare
2. Bitten by You
3. Pretty Little Liar
4. Promises
5. I Wanna Rock You
6. Speeding into Slow
7. Somewhere
8. Keep Out
9. Scream Out to be Heard
10. In your Arms

Gábor Mirkovics : Vocals, Bass
Zsolt Csillik : Vocals, Guitar
Gábor Gyöngyösi : Vocals, Keyboard
Tibor Donászy : Vocals, Drums
József Kalapács : Vocals

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