Life Of A Hero – Letting Go
Battlegod Productions
Release Date: 12/11/21
Running Time: 42:28
Review by Simon Black
7/10
The UK has seen a number of interesting new faces emerge from the Melodic Metal and Hard Rock scenes of late. This is an interesting project, formed to give vocalist Russ Grimmett (son of Lionsheart vocalist Steve Grimmett) a platform, with the rest of the band made up of members from Midnite City and Vega. The presence of experienced musos gives the project and robust and workmanlike solidity, even if it’s not really breaking any new ground instrumentally. That extends to the production as well, which is beautifully crisp and well-delivered, so a big thumbs up there. Russ’s voice is clean and strong, with plenty of presence and range, if perhaps needing a little more charisma and subtlety to vary the melodies from the obvious from time to time.
The title track does a good rollicking job of reeling you in, and might actually have made a better choice of first single than ‘3D’, but it sets the tone well. Most of the songs are lively little belters and have a good strong song-writing structure and plenty of energy, if perhaps a little short on some of the Melodic hooks and catchiness you need to make a splash in this rather crowded marketplace. To be distinctive here you need something unique in your sound, or exceptional in your delivery, so by the numbers writing simply doesn’t cut the mustard. When they vary the tone a little, with the slightly more moody ‘Stay For A while’ for example, then things step up a notch or two in that regard. Grimmett’s voice stops being one of the players on this one and becomes the full focus of your attention, at which point the potential of this outfit becomes clear. When he’s on form and flying, it’s when he’s not following the rhythm melody lines to the letter, and this track works because he’s a bit more front and centre, rather than being an equal presence in the mix, but that’s the difference between being a vocalist and a true front man, although to be fair experience and having to work your material in front of a live crowd who are there to see the headliner gets you there eventually.
The album does struggle a bit in the middle, but the anthemic fist-puncher ‘Shine A Light’ brings things back from the brink and again the divergence of melody lines in the verse helps, although anthemic choruses need, nay demand, that you align the melodies in this case. When ‘Letting Go’ was good, it was great, but a bit of confidence to push beyond the obvious song structures would have made this a more consistent hit, and if the calibre of ‘Stay For A While’ and ‘Shine A Light’ had been maintained throughout then this would have scored much higher. Nevertheless, a really promising start.
TRACKLISTING:
01. 3D
02. Letting Go
03. In My Dreams
04. Caught In A Lie
05. Don’t Waste My Time
06. Stay For A While
07. Down And Out
08. Risk It All
09. Shine A Light
10. Falling Apart At The Seams
11. When We Let Go
LINE-UP:
Russ Grimmett – Vocals
Miles Meakin – Guitar
Alex Nash – Guitar
Josh “Tabbie” Williams – Bass
Pete Newdeck – Drums
LINKS:
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