The term “super group” is in my opinion used far too much these days. Put any bunch of musos together who are/have been in bands and it automatically seems to be tagged “super group”. That fate has befallen Red Zone Rider – a project comprised of UFO guitar whizz Vinnie Moore, Kelly Keeling (Baton Rouge, MSG and others) and Scot Coogan (Lita Ford, Ace Frehley and others).
I bought it because of the Vinnie Moore connection and me being a long-term UFO fan (no secret if you’ve been here before…..). And let me say straight away, this first red Zone Rider CD is a stonking listen. Proper, proper classic hard rock by three geezers who can all do their thing.
Especially Vinnie who is truly outstanding. A world class performance from a world class guitarist.
Think something along the lines of a heavier Bad Company with more of a bluesey edge and you might not be far away. Well crafted, clear song writing, a very tight performance and Vinnie’s guitar work – wow.
The soloing and shredding is phenomenal. Speed, dexterity, feeling, touch, melody and more. He seems to have the opportunity here for more freedom of expression that a UFO album and to cut lose more and do his own thing. Astounding stuff. With Coogan’s solid drumming and Keeling’s silky voice it is, as they say, a heady mix.
Listen to the opener (Hell No) and it’ll hit you straight away. It rocks along like a runaway train and Moore’s soloing is quite remarkable – as indeed it is on every other track. But don’t just buy this to listen to one of the leading rock guitarists of his generation, buy it for the whole package. A superb classic rock style offering like it used to be.
Ignore the cheesy cover with the biker. We don’t buy CDs for cover artwork now do we? We buy them for the music. And this one is top class indeed. As the cliché goes: all killer, no filler. Any self-respecting rock/metal fan should enjoy Red Zone Rider. Let’s hope it’s more than a one-off.
>> CHECK OUT RED ZONE RIDER REVIEWS ON AMAZON <<
Coming next, the new Mr Big album – The Stories We Could Tell.
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