D.C. Cooper--D.C. Cooper (1999/Bottom Row)
Rating--9.2
Forgive Me--RealAudio Dream--RealAudio
The former lead singer of Royal Hunt steps out on his own, and the results are most impressive.
Much credit should be shared, as he surrounds himself with bandmates referred to as "The Alliance": one member
from Vanden Plas, three from Pink Cream 69, and guitar mastermind
Tore Ostby from Conception.
Together there is a nice blend of each of the bands' styles, including some progressive material, a few symphonic moments, as
well as some melodic/power crunching. And to top it all off is that enchanted D.C. Cooper voice...
Opening track "Dream" is strong, melodic, and smoothly slashing, being an excellent harbinger for the disc as a whole. Some of
Ostby's patented stutter chops surface in "The Angel Comes," and are complimented well by a soaring chorus.
Pace shifts
and caustic, biting vox highlight "Take Me In," and "Forgive Me" is similar with its heavy and driving chorus. Smooth, rolling chops
show up in "Three Generations," and "Within Yourself" is one of the disc's faster songs.
The wild and feral (yet
still contained) yells of "Whisper" show the form that made Cooper one of the finalists for the Judas Priest
frontman slot. "The Union" closes the album out by mixing majestic slow sections with chops and crunch.
It will be interesting
to see if this "alliance" continues to write and put out more material in the future, as there is a very special chemistry forming.
Here's hoping they do...
TRACK LIST: Dream/Easy Living/The Angel Comes/Until the End/Within Yourself/Three Generations/Chained/Freedom/
Take Me In/Forgive Me/Whisper/The Union
Back to Discography