Quickly establishing his versatility as a singer/songwriter, ex-Eldritch vocalist Terrence Holler returns for this sophomore record Next In Line. Choosing to venture into his youthful appreciation of the melodic hard rock / AOR-style genres, the quintet from the Reborn debut returns augmented by second guitarist Luca Fuligni – delivering ten original tracks as well as a Sia cover “Chandelier” reformulated through a hard rock lens. For those that possess a lot of affinity for singer/songwriters such as Billy Joel/ Elton John or 70s/80s hard rock/AOR acts like Boston, Journey, Toto, there’s numerous reference points to latch onto that pour out in a passionate, emotional manner.
Terrence’s premiere delivery as a vocalist contains the best aspects of rock, blues, soul, and metal. He has the chops to smoothly rise to high note consistency as evidenced on “Chandelier” as well as the more driving nature that penetrates “Crystal Eyes”. Thoughtful, soft jazzy parts where the drums, keyboards, and guitars play off of each other in a tactful way takes “Don’t Fool Me” into dramatic territory as the musicianship increases into jagged chord progressions that just pulsate next to the lower to midrange melodies which transitions into a bright, lively chorus. Toto would be proud of the instrumental section in this one too – Matteo Chimenti’s keyboard prowess next to some counterpoint guitar lines from Luca and Denis Chimenti, the lead break containing a lot of Neal Schon-ish charm. The occasional ballad delves into the more singer / songwriter side of the record – “The Ocean” possessing that semi-church hymn-like feel as the acoustic/electric parts build momentum to this positive final payoff. The musical hooks that lead “Trust” make you feel like this would have fit perfectly on an 80’s Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack – while drummer Alex ‘Demonoid’ Lera and bassist Leonardo Peruzzi shape “The Leader” in a propulsive showcase of solid backbone mechanics plus occasional progressive flurries that prove seasoned abilities are at the top of this record’s priority list.
As long as you go into this not expecting full on metal but more of a melodic hard rock/ AOR meets singer-songwriter dynamic, Next In Line will satisfy your cravings in that pocket. Hopefully Holler can continue to move forward, pushing a style of music that may have a niche following, but is rewarding when done this well.