Ice Vajal :: Music Land :: Metal World
 
editorial :: feedback :: newsletter ::  
   Bands :: A-Z / W / Winger /

On disc: Winger



Songs From The Ocean Floor - Claudia Ehrhardt - 8 stars
Karma - Claudia Ehrhardt - 9 stars


www.wingertheband.com







Karma

Karma
(Frontiers - 2009)


Winger, the band of Kip Winger, was part of the hair metal scene and with the help of MTV had some hits. Technically they always were one of the best and Kip Winger knew how to write good songs. Karma is their 5th studio album of the band and the second since they reunited in 2001. The band is almost the same, just Paul Taylor was first replaced by Cenk Eroglu and now by John Roth on rhythm guitar.
They kick off with Deal With The Devil which is a fast, heavy, melodic rocker with a catchy hook. Fat guitar riffs and Kip Winger's powerful voice will win you over right away. To say that it's a heavier version of early Winger isn't totally wrong, just that these days they add a few more ingredients to their mix. Stone Cold Killer opens up with a far bass groove, then sharp guitar riffs been added. The vocal line is hooking you up and the refrain invites you to sing along. Kip Winger sounds aggressive, but also like he's full of anger and an the edge of exploding... I haven't expect something like that from Winger, but it's simply awes. With Come A Little Closer they get even heavier! Kip Wingers vocals are hypnotic! But to do the trick it needs the guitar play of Reb Beach and John Roth who add fat riffs and amazing leads. Next in line Pull Me Under, a classic Winger track, but heavier. At Supernova they slow down a bit - and add some new sounds. Very cool tune. The powerful balladesque Always Within Me would have get them on heavy rotation back in the early 90's! Heavy riffs drag you into Feeding Frenzy, a very heavy tune with a catchy hook. A bluesy one is After All This Time, an emotional track which shines due to Kip Winger's vocals and Reb Beach's guitar leads. With Witness they chose another slow, but long track which presents a long guitar solo. Reb Beach knows how to keep the listeners interest and so the 7 minute long track never gets boring.
If in the past you thought of Winger as another cheesy melodic metal band, then give Karma a chance and listen without prejudice! Let the songs do the magic trick, let them enchant you!


9 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

up








Songs From The Ocean Floor

Songs From The Ocean Floor
(Frontiers - 2001)


Everyone who expect something like Winger's debut (1988) or In The Heart Of The Young will be disappointed, but...
Since 1997 Kip Winger is releasing solo albums and with this release Kip Winger left the melodic metal genre behind and started to discover new musical shores for himself. This is a more mature Kip Winger. On Songs From The Ocean Floor Kip got a helping hand from Andy Timmons and Rod Morgenstein again. These days Kip offers a rock / AOR melange influenced by artists like David Bowie, Sting and Peter Gabriel.
Two Lovers Stand is a beautiful, emotional ballad, but there are rocking songs as well. Landslide reminds me of Sting. On the other hand there are more modern sounding tracks, e.g. Faster or Sure Was A Wild Flower which offers a duet with Moon Zappa. For the metal fans this album is disappointing, but for open-minded music fans this is an interesting piece of music... Very emotional... Mood music, atmospheric and sometimes grooving....


8 stars

Claudia Ehrhardt
 

up

           ©2008-2010 by Claudia Ehrhardt • E-Mail: contact@ice-vajal.com


Bands W