Led by a German bassist / producer Dennis Ward, Pink Cream 69 is an international squad with each member hailing from a different country. The name could not have been any worse (it comes from a local German cocktail), but they always delivered quality hard rock. They have been around since 1987 (and their original lead singer, Andi Deris, now shines in Helloween) and released almost a dozen albums, but haven't reached notoriety until "Electrified" (1999). On "Sonic Dynamite" (2000), the band began to shift into the realm of power metal, and the timing was definitely right. Latest line-up consists of Dennis Ward (bass), Alfred Koffler (guitars), Kosta Zafirou (drums), and David Readman (vocals). Their latest, "Thunderdome" (2004), continued in the same vein. Readman has his own solo band as well, and Ward is a very accomplished producer, working with bands such as Angra, DC Cooper / Silent Force, Edenbridge, Krokus, Symphorce, and many more.
ELECTRIFIED (1998/1999)
RATING: ****
BEST SONGS: "Break The Silence," "Over The Fire," "Burn Your Soul"
The sound makes this album hard-rockish, but the rest of the metal ingredients are all there: high pitched vox of Readman (who looks like a girl), shredding guitars of Koffler, speed, and melody. Unfortunately, this album is a little uneven, mainly due to many ballads (a common mistake amidst power metal band and this band in particular). "Break The Silence" is a killer opener, with great chorus. "Burn Your Soul" is more of the same, and "Hold Your Head" is a speed attack from hell. "Stranger In Time" is more mellow, but it's still very good. A different producer and lower guitar tuning could do this band some good, but that's of course not going to happen because the band's leader is also a big time producer himself, and that's exactly how he wants this band to sound.
SONIC DYNAMITE (2000)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: "Seas Of Madness," title track, "Waiting For The Dawn"
David Readman looks even more like a girl (more even than Edguy's Tobias Sammett, and yes, it's possible). Aside from that, he's cool. Good voice, which may sound slightly hard-rockish, but only slightly (not like, say, that of Mike Dimeo from Riot). There's a naked girl on the album's cover, and that never hurts. The album opener (not counting the intro), "Seas Of Madness," I selected as one of year's top 5 songs. It's awesome, heavier and faster than anything they've ever done. "CIR-CLES-IN-THE-SAND!!" Oh yeah! Unfortunately, the rest of the material never rises to the high mark set by the opener. The title track is cool, "The Spirit" has a nice chorus, "Speed Of Light" is nowhere near the speed of light OR the eponymous song by Stratovarius, but it's still good. Good production, and heavier sound than before, but still it could have been heavier. "Waiting For The Dawn" has certain similarities to early King's X, namely to the song "World Around Me." It's not copied, just has a similar groove, and I totally dig it. The ballad, "Let The Thunder Reside," is nothing special. "Lost In Illusion" with its chours "They will declare you threat to society" is not very original, etc. So, this album is pretty good, but not quite great. However, "Seas Of Madness" make it worth having.
THUNDERDOME (2004)
RATING: ***1/2
BEST SONGS: title track, "Gods Come Together," "Carnaby Road"
Again and again, PC69 writes some fairly decent material, but its inherent "eightiness" and hard rock approach prevent it from truly shining. And when it starts repeating itself ("Here I Am" sounds very close to some tune from Electrified that I can't remember at the moment, "Gods Come Together" is an attempt to write another "Seas Of Madness," etc.), it becomes too secondary even for itself. It is also notably slower than either Electrified or SD: there are really no fast numbers here. I do admit that David Readman simply never sounded better. My three favorites are, incidentally, the first three tracks: plodding "Thunderdome," rocking "Gods Come Together" (it is slower than "SoM," but the melodies are identical), and excellent "Carnaby Road." After that the band delves straight into the 80s hard rock, which culminates in a nice cover of "My Sharona," and does not emerge from it until tracks 10 and 11, especially "Another Wrong Makes Right," another highlight of this album. But it is already too late. Some nice melodies and nice sing-alongs here and there, but one thing this album does not do is generate any kind of emotion, and that is not good. For the record: I have never tasted Pink Cream 69, the cocktail, but judging by the band's music, it would be too sugary for me.
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