Search - Headrush :: Headrush

For Labyrinth Fans

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 10/04/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Frontiers has a pretty stellar track record when it comes to giving established vocalists new projects that stretch their talents a bit. In the last couple of years they have served up From the Inside (featuring former Tyketto vocalist Danny Vaughn), Place Vendome (featuring former Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske), and Starbreaker (featuring former TNT vocalist Tony Harnell). I loved all of those albums, so when I saw that Headrush featured Labyrinth singer Roberto Tiranti (a.k.a. Rob Tyrant), I knew I had to check it out.



Comparisons to Labyrinth are inevitable. I mean, as soon as you hear Tiranti's voice you immediately think of Labyrinth. The Headrush album is also very melodic (it is a Frontiers album after all), which is another similarity to Labyrinth. That's where the similarities end though. The melodic hard rock on this album is a far cry from the progressive power metal that Labyrinth is known for. We're not talking Journey-style AOR here, but it's not metal either.



The music on Headrush is somewhere between Dokken and Pink Cream 69. It's heavy enough, but the emphasis is definitely on the melodies. The real question is whether Tiranti's vocal style fits this type of music, and the answer is...sometimes. There are moments on this disc where everything fits together perfectly, and then there are times where Tiranti's unique voice sticks out like a sore thumb. It's not that he does a bad job - far from it. You just find yourself expecting Olaf Thorson to break in with a blistering metal solo at any minute.



Overall, this is a pretty solid melodic hard rock album. It doesn't quite measure up to the albums I mentioned earlier, but it should appeal to most Labyrinth fans."