Search - Shadow King :: Shadow King

Excellent melodic rock featuring Lou Gramm

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 02/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Shadow King is a supergroup of sorts featuring ex-Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm and ex-Dio (and current Def Leppard) guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside bassist and longtime Gramm collaborator Bruce Turgon and drummer Kevin Valentine. I have no idea how the band's self-titled debut album managed to get ignored when similar bands Bad English and Damn Yankees were tearing up the charts, but unfortunately that is what happened.



Given Lou Gramm's presence here, it shouldn't surprise anyone that the album bears more than a passing resemblance to Foreigner and Gramm's solo material. It sounds a lot like a heavier version of Ready or Not. This is no doubt due to Vivian Campbell's presence. Vivian's scorn for hard rock and metal is well documented (lucky for him Def Leppard hasn't played anything remotely heavy in at least two decades), but he definitely brought a hard rock edge to Gramm and Turgon's AOR songwriting. Between his guitar playing and Gramm's signature voice, Shadow King definitely feels like an "all star" album.



If you're a fan of Foreigner or Lou Gramm, this album is a no-brainer. It's also a fine example of the early 90's melodic rock sound, so fans of Bad English, Tyketto, Damn Yankees, Bonfire, etc. should enjoy this as well.



NOTE: Wounded Bird reissued the Shadow King debut in 2006, and while it's nice to see the album back in print, it does not feature any bonus material, nor has it been remastered. If you don't already own the album, you're probably better off with a used copy of the original release, which is still readily available for a buck or two."

Under-the-Radar Masterpiece

S. A. Gilchrist | Charlotte, NC | 07/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listen-buy this CD! Lou Gramm(Foreigner vocalist)& Dio guitarist Vivian Campbell(& later Whitesnake,Def Leppard), came together for this one release that has not one single mediocre song. I happened to run across it when it came out, and bought it more out of curiosity. You expect something from these guys with such a solid reputation, and it does seem an odd combination but after listening to this CD once, I knew it was killer! The songs are smart, well-written, catchy, melodic, well-produced, great riffs and classic Lou Gramm vocal. I can just imagine what another release or 3 would've sounded like. May have been more a matter of timing because released a few years earlier, before grunge took over, it would be a bona fide classic. In my opinion it is nothing but! This is truly a gem worth checking out, especially since it is hard-to-believe reasonably priced. To categorize a genre, is to only say that this is simply great rock with consistent energy from start to finish! Hear what I'm saying-you cannot go wrong with this one!

"

Lou grahams side project

Howard Teitel | nyc | 06/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"what a great surprise havent listen to the disc in years and i forgot that the cd futured lou graham(foreigner) and vivian campbell(dio,def leppard etc etc on guitar)

great modic disc with great guitar riffs"