Search - Khymera :: New Promise

2005 AOR CD

Stuart M. Tysinger | Johnson City, TN | 12/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Khymera is fronted by Ex Pink Cream 69 vocalist Dennis Ward. The CD has a modern feel to it and Dennis sings his heart out on this project. I am glad to see more people putting all they have into their music. As for the rest of the band, they are awesome as well. They must of fed off the energy of Dennis or maybe it was vice versa but this is one top release. Standouts are: Looking For You, All That I Have, The Damage Is Done (cover of Unruly Child song)& Tomorrow Never Comes. If you are tired of the same old same old contemporary music on the radio, then pick this up to see what true talent is all about."

New album, new vocalist

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 04/24/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2006's A New Promise is album number 2 from melodic rock act Khymera, and finds the band with a new singer at the mic. Kansas vocalist Steve Walsh departed and his replacement is none other than Pink Cream 69 bassist/producer Dennis Ward. I didn't even know he sang before hearing this album. He also handles mixing duties here, but production was done by "multi-instrumentalist" Daniele Liverani.



As with the first Khymera album, A New Promise features a handful of obscure AOR covers in addition to new songs. They cover the Unruly Child song "The Damage is Done", Jeff Scott Soto's "You Can't Take Me (Away from You)" and Don Barnes' "After the Way". The mix of old and new works pretty well, especially given Khymera's particular brand of classic melodic rock. The band has a great 80's arena rock sound that is ideally suited to handling a Soto or Mark Free composition.



Ward does a solid enough job on vocals, but going from Steve Walsh's very recognizable voice to Ward's midrange style is a bit of a let down. Musically though, A New Promise is just as impressive as Khymera. Liverani definitely seems more suited to a band like Khymera than he does in a progressive metal setting.



A New Promise is a better than average melodic rock album that should appeal to most fans of this kind of music. It's definitely not on the same level as Sunstorm or Place Vendome, but if you run across it for a decent price it's well worth checking out."