Tyketto – Reach
Frontiers Music srl
Release Date: 14/10/2016
Running Time: 57.47
Review by Dawn “The Metal Priestess” King
9/10
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name Tyketto? Well, if you are anything like me, it would be their smash hit song “Forever Young” which is a shame, as there is far more to this band than the one track they are mostly known for.
Hailing from New York City, this hard rock band was put together by former Waysted singer Danny Vaughn and Brooke St James (guitar), Jimi Kennedy (bass) and Michael Clayton (drums) completed the original line up.
By 1990, they had signed to the famous Geffen Records and released their debut album “Don’t Come Easy” (featuring the aforementioned Forever Young) but the rise of the grunge sound in 1991 saw Tyketto’s hopes of a big breakthrough begin to fade. The band eventually split in 1996.
However, they reformed in 2004 for a reunion tour with the full original line-up but this was to be the last time they all performed together. Personnel changes, especially in a long-running band such as Tyketto, are inevitable but they continued to fight and 2014 brought the 25th anniversary of the band forming and, with it, major touring plans and bookings.
2016 saw the release of their latest album, along with some fantastic new members. Brooke St James has been replaced by riff master Chris Green (Rubicon Cross, Furyon) and the unstoppable 2016 line up also includes full time keyboardist Ged Rylands (Tygers of Pan Tang, Ten, Rage of Angels) and bassist Chris Childs (Thunder, Shadowman)
Recorded at the famous Rockfield Studios in Wales (also used by the likes of Rush, Queen and Oasis) lead vocalist Danny Vaughn says of the new album “we unanimously decided on Reach as the title of the album as it defines who this band is in 2016. We have a new energy, some incredible new members, and a fresh outlook to the future.”
Drummer Michael Clayton adds: “We have decided to expand our musical boundaries and introduce our friends around the world to Tyketto 2016. But rest assured that all the songs on Reach still carry the trademark melodies and choruses our fans have grown to love over the decades.”
At which point I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I only have the album “Don’t Come Easy” in my cd collection, stumbling across it years after it had been released, but I loved the whole sound, production and ambience of the album. It was one of those albums you could dance around the living room to while, at the same time, enjoying the riffs and heaviness of a hard rock band.
Suffice to say, Reach is very much the same. While there is an argument that a band needs to evolve their sound to attract new and younger fans, there would also be a counter argument that says they also need to keep, even just a little bit, of what their older fans have come to know and love. Classic examples of a band completely changing their sound to “evolve” would be Queen’s Hot Space and The Scorpion’s “Eye to Eye” neither of which, in my opinion, really worked.
But with Reach, the trademarks are still there and the production and level of musicianship is outstanding.
The album opens with the over the top title track that is just pure magic and is reminiscent of Tyketto of a by-gone age. “Kick Like a Mule” sounds a lot like Aerosmith and the drums and bass on “Big Money” make it my favourite on the album.
Danny Vaughn, considered one of the finest vocalists in the business, sings his lungs out, Chris Green literally shines on “The Run” and for lovers of the power ballad there is “Letting Go”, the acoustic intro and harmonising backing vocals making it one of the most haunting tracks on the album.
I absolutely love this album and could play it time and time again without getting bored with it. This is a band who really don’t know when to give up and why should they? They have fought tooth and nail to get to where they are, and it’s a position they thoroughly deserve. They are one of those bands who should be bigger than they are but I think coming onto the scene a few years before the grunge epidemic happened was their biggest downfall. Kids wanted something different to listen to at the time and, despite the talents and musicianship of Tyketto, they weren’t what the kids wanted.
Hopefully, those kids have now grown up and can appreciate just exactly what is was they were missing out on! Tyketto are a fantastic band and this album shows that. Contrary to a few other reviews I have read that say there are a few fillers on here, I think this is a great album from start to finish. All killer, no filler as the saying goes.
As far as melodic hard rock goes, Tyketto are one of THE best and nearly 30 years in the business proves it!
TRACKLISTING:
1. Reach
2. Big Money
3. Kick like A Mule
4. Circle The Wagon
5. I Need It Now
6. Tearing Down The Sky
7. Letting Go
8. The Fastest Man Alive
9. Remember My Name
10. Sparks Will Fly
11. Scream
12. The Run
LINE-UP:
Danny Vaughn – Vocals
Chris Green – Guitar
Jimi Kennedy – Bass
Micheal Clayton – Drums
Ged Rylands – Keyboards
LINKS:
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