In their heyday, Canadian '80s rock heroes Brighton Rock were branded as fluffy counterparts to their American hair band brethren thanks to big label boardroom decisions that saw ballads "Can't Wait For The Night" and "One More Try" shoved front and center. No surprise there, as that was the sign of the times (see Warrant's sappy breakthrough, "Heaven"), but it was a huge disservice to the bulk of Brighton Rock's material, which was often heavier than expected. While the band remains semi-active, guitarist Greg Fraser chose to launch Storm Force and string together a 10-song celebration of feelgood in-your-face hair metal / rock in the spirit of classic Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Dio, Ratt, and every other classic '80s-era band that captured your imagination and made you pick up air guitar or sing into a hair brush for the first time.

Following the line scratched with Brighton Rock's 1991 album, Love Machine, Fraser's riffs are meat-on-the-bone heavy yet compact, the songs straight to the point and not legging a ton of "additional" keyboards / layered clutter. Lead single "Because Of You" is instantly infectious as only '80s hair metal anthems can be, followed up by the standout title track that features one of Fraser's heaviest guitar riffs (and best songs) to date. "Breathe" takes things in a different and darker direction, led by bass and drums, and featuring guest vocals by one Serene Pryne who comes off as a young Sass Jordan. "Dirty Vegas", "Ride Like Hell" and "Marshall Law" are groove heavy, more rock than metallic, with balls by the ton. The country-esque "More Than You Know" is grudgingly enjoyable (don't tell my metal friends), while full-on ballad "Different Roads".... I'll leave that for the soccer moms and bake sale dads that still love their cassette collections. Closing track "Ringside", on the other hand, ends things with a satisfying amount of shred recalling the work of guitar lord Jake E. Lee.

As much as this is Fraser's baby - and the man is severely underrated as a guitarist and a songwriter - vocalist Patrick Gagliardi brings his own spotlight and steals the show. As Age Of Fear plays out the listener is reminded of noteworthy voices like Sammy Hagar (Van Halen), Jack Russell (Great White), Robin McAuley (MSG), Tony Harnell (TNT) and Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row); he possesses one of those gritty rock voices with a blues pedigree, a rich mid-range that remains equally powerful when the song calls for something bigger / louder / higher. Gagliardi is one of those guys that can sing anything, and the amount of attitude he brings to the Storm Force sound cannot be ignored. Looking forward to hearing him tear things up live.