Year : 2007
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 131 mb
Bio:
Shylock is a warrantor for catchy hard rock songs with sing along choruses and also became a top part of the German Hard Rock league.The two masterminds behind Shylock, Matthias Schenk (voc.) and Johannes Amrhein (git.), have been working together for more than two decades. With their band mates Achim Thiergärtner (dr.) and Bernhard Schwingenstein (b.) they continue to follow their roots and show us again their strengths on album number six which is entitled “Walking Tall”. They deliver what they can do best: catchy and up-to-date Hardrock in the year 2013.Shylock started as a highly anticipated newcomer (German Rock Hard ‘Unerhört’ band) and established themselves quickly as well known live rock act. In the past Shylock have toured and played numerous shows together with bands like Bonfire, Gotthard, Adler’s Appetite, Roger Chapman, Shakra, Right Said Fred, U.D.O., Primal Fear and more. They went on the road in Germany, Switzerland and Spain.Certainly, one of the biggest highlights for the band was their TV performance in advance to the farewell-game of world known soccer player Thomas Hässler the year 2005 at the RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne. Shylock performed their song “Farewell” in front of 20.000 people. This show was broadcasted in Germany on TV (DSF).The four-piece has released five full-length albums so far: Shylock, Pyronized, Welcome To Illusion, Devotion & RockBuster. Although they did have to take a break from playing live due to the family duties – Matthias Schenk and Johannes Amrhein have been working hard on the new release “Walking Tall”.The new album starts off where “RockBuster” ended and songs like “Walking Tall”, “Rock DNA”, “I Can’t Wait Now”, “Anything” and “Away From Here” etc. show the band’s strength at the best.
Album:
'Devotion' is the first new album from Germany's Shylock since 2004's well received 'Welcome To Illusion.' That's a long time between releases for any band, but not uncommon. It seems Shylock has spent the last three years busting their asses by playing everywhere they possibly could. This can only build a tight, skillful band and hopefully plant the seeds for a great new work. Well, 'Devotion' is certainly worth the wait; I found myself liking it after a single spin. I think the fundamental reasons for this are Matthias Schenk's vocals and the strong, thoroughly consitent, melodic hard rock. At times, Schenk's vocals remind me of a coarser Jon Bon Jovi, and at other times, he seems to be merging an emo quality into his style. In the end, I simply enjoyed listening to him sing. As for the songs, they are filled with great melody and wonderful hooks; it's simply fun melodic rock.'Devotion' clocks in at nearly an hour with fourteen tracks. This an extremely low cost-to-rock ratio that pays rich dividends. Immediately, the album kicks off with 'Eternal Life,' a solid rocker driven by a strong rhythm section. When you move into 'Things Like That,' you find that Shylock knows there melodic craft. 'Music' displays their artistic creativity with a heavy beat, unique vocals, and quirky keyboard and guitar work. 'U Feel' is simply a great melodic rock song with a memorable chorus. This is the one song that made me hear 'emo' in Schenky's vocals.The consistency of song styling and musicianship continue with 'The Rain' and 'Ocean.' 'Castaway' precisely nails the melodic rock genre with its catchy chorus and Scorpion-like guitar riffs. 'Again,' the first of my two favorite songs, follows with Schenky sounding superb almost like John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls. You can pretty much skip over 'Hunting High and Low' and 'Fading Memory.' They're good songs and hardly fillers, but I wasn't truly thrilled. However, 'New Attraction,' my other favorite, brings you back with a stylish, moving, ballad. Schenky's vocals are passionate and smooth, Johannes L�hr's guitar singing sweetly. The album is rounded out by three more straight melodic rockers. The finale, 'Farewell (To The Champion),' is tribute to MTM Music cofounder, football player Thomas H�ssler.Shylock, for the most part, has been flying under my radar. I should have checked them out a long time ago. 'Devotion' is a terrific album of wonderful melodic hard rock. Yeah, some would say that it's ordinary. But I think not. What is extraordinary is that Shylock knows how to consistently craft a fine melodic rock song. These boys have a bright future if they can maintain this level of quality. Highly recommended.
Line Up:
Matthias Schenk - Vocals
Johanne Lohr - Guitars
Oliver Thiergartner - Keyboards
Steven Wussow - Bass
Achim Thiergartner - Drums
Tracklist:
01. Eternal Life
02. Things Like That
03. Music
04. U Feel
05. The Rain
06. Ocean
07. Castaway
08. Again
09. Hunting High & Low
10. Fading Memory
11. New Attraction
12. Anybody Out There?
13. I Wanna Live
14. Farewell (To The Champion) (Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
