Having shown a pretty strong dislike for the Benedictum albums and an even stronger dislike for frontwoman Veronica Freeman’s scream powered vocals, I had absolutely zero interest in The V – Ms Freeman’s debut solo outing. Expectations dare I say, were even lower.
So imagine my surprise to find a rather enjoyable, beautifully sung melodic hard rock (and slightly metal) album right here.
After checking I was playing the right CD, I sat back and took in the “melodic” side of Veronica’s persona and really enjoyed it.
Now or Never features a huge array of special guests, including Pete Wells, Aric Avina and Rikard Stjernquist of Benedictum, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Garry Bordonaro (The Rods), Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner), Mike Lepond (Symphony X), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Jerry Dixon (Warrant) and more.
A strong musical performance and a solid production are immediately noticeable, but what makes it most enjoyable are the lead vocals.
Naturally there are some big metal moments, where the aggression and power are front and center (Again, Ready To Run, King For A Day – featuring Tony Martin on vocals), but the beauty of this album is the range displayed.
There’s groove (Now Or Never, Kiss My Lips), punky hard rock (Rollercoaster), melodic hard rock (L.O.V.E, Line In The Sand, Love Should Be To Blame) and even a track that could be described as AOR (Starshine).
This won’t have me looking forward to a new Benedictum album, but I will certainly hope to see a sequel to The V at some point in the future and commend Veronica Freeman for trying something a little different and pulling it off successfully.
While the continuing change in musicians from track to track do cause some variations in sound and production throughout the album, the songs (mostly written by Freeman and Wells, but including tracks from Nigel Bailey, Vince O’Regan and two from Michael Sweet) and the vocals are the glue that holds this together.
