Ice Vajal :: Music Land :: Metal World
 
editorial :: feedback :: newsletter ::  
   Bands :: A-Z / I / If Only /

On disc: If Only



No Bed Of Roses - Lars Bjørn - 9 stars









No Bed Of Roses

No Bed Of Roses
(Avenue Of Allies - 2011)


It's really amazing that an album that was first introduced in 1992 can be re-released now in 2011 and remind everybody of what the sound was in the beginning of the 90's. There was so much heavy rock that it's hard not to be pleases when listening to this album. It's the story of a bands struggle to things right with the replacement of singers and etc. After establishing themselves Jackie Bodimead (ex-Girlschool) was brought in to do the vocals, but was overpowered by a new singer in the young and angry-voiced Tina Egan who contributed with a rock attitude that was to shock the world. Egan sings on 13 of the songs and Bodimead handles 4 of the songs of this re-release of their 1992 album No Bed Of Roses. Unfortunately Tina Egan died in 1999, but her voice lives on and gets a remembrance on this CD.
Loaded Gun has a great heavy line with melodic pushy rock that reminds you of the way Lee Aaron used to perform in her heydays, wonderful metallic rock. Tumblin' Dice is melodic piece of hard rock, and even if it states in the bios that Greg Hart wrote the song, he must have looked closely to the Rolling Stones song of the same name, Tumblin' Dice, but anyway it's melodic hard rock with a refreshing collection of guitar riffs. If Love Could Last Forever is soft and genius metal that relaxes your hard treat banished ears with a caring sound from the raw voiced Tina Egan. I'm No Angel is a professional ballad performed with the fingertip feeling from a band that has everything controlled in their hands. Rock And A Hard Place is also a song that they share the name with from legendary Rolling Stones, but this song goes in hard and powerful direction with its traditional AOR rock going around in a fresh style. May great songs are gathered here, but Red Hot Heaven could very well be the finest of them all, heavy rock so splendid and well done that you must be pleased when hearing this. Long Way From Home is a good and raw soft song that reminds us of what Tina Egan could do vocally. There are four bonus songs that are performed by Jackie Bodimead, but these are not in the same elegant style as Egans songs, Stand Like A Stone is pure heavy metal from the creative minds of If Only. I think it's a good idea to re-release such a good album, it doesn't matter that the songs are old, they are still fantastic.


9 stars

Lars Bjørn
 

up

           ©2008-2014 by Claudia Ehrhardt • E-Mail: contact@ice-vajal.com


Bands I