There was a time when I thought there was no more good, new music. I even used to joke that "the day the music died" did not refer to the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, but December 31, 1989, for once we left the '80s, there was nothing good anymore in the musical world. That was, of course, an exaggeration, but let's face it. There comes a time when many of us stop listening to new material and just replay our favorite albums over and over. The 21st century, however, has seen a rebirth of some great rock music, and the latest testament is the sophomore release from Sweet & Lynch.
Their 2015 debut, Only To Rise, was a solid record, but their new album, Unified, simply blows it and many others out of the water. Michael Sweet (Stryper, Boston), George Lynch (Lynch Mob, Dokken), James LoMenzo (White Lion, Megadeth), and Brian Tichy (Billy Idol, Whitesnake) have returned tighter than ever. Their individual efforts mesh on this album, and they simply sound comfortable together, a fact that gives the album its defining characteristic, creativity. I have never heard an album that experiments as much as this one from track to track, and those experiments pay off, yielding music that is intensely interesting and that makes you want to keep the album on repeat.
The opening track, "Promised Land," forms a clear bridge with the last album. In fact, it could well have been on Only To Rise and has much in common with that album's title track melodically and rhythmically. After listening to it, you say, "Okay. Sounds good. Pretty much as I expected. What's next?" And that's where things get interesting and take off.
Track 2, called "Walk," is unlike anything these guys are known for in their other bands. It is certainly unlike anything Michael Sweet has ever sung. It opens with a funky rhythm followed by Michael's rapid fire vocals that recall Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes on "Hard To Handle." Early comments on this song based on the video likened it to Queen, and that is clearly evident in the chorus. After two verses and twice through the chorus, things change again for a tasty solo from George Lynch that is again evocative of Queen, yet at the 3:14 mark we hear a throwback to "Under The Bridge" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. From there, it is back to a big, Queenesque finish.
At this point, any first-time listener should be wondering what is going on and curious for the next track, for it is clear that this album is not going to sound as if each song were cut from the same mold. And if curiosity killed the cat, it is probably because the cat tripped and fell as it stumbled into the dark metal of the third song, "Afterlife." It is dark, heavy, and sludgy. Oh, and did I say it is dark? It features a slow rhythm that, when it does accelerate, moves into a swagger and then back into slow...what's the word I'm looking for...darkness.
It is well known that I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but these opening three songs display an amazing talent. The lyrics are wildly different as are his vocal styles, and he pulls each one off with great success. For someone who has enjoyed his metal screams for years, "Walk" and "Afterlife" are delicious treats.
"Make Your Mark," the fourth track, returns to the familiar Sweet & Lynch of the first album and Michael's aggressive screams, although at the 2:07 mark his vocals call to mind Steven Tyler from "Sweet Emotion."
A slow, country/southern-rock groove opens track 5, "Tried & True," and turns into a melody that would have stood well alongside Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye." In fact, you could well imagine this playing at the high school dance or in the car as you and your date hung out after the football game. It takes you back to a simpler time and is quite a lovely tune.
And speaking of taking you back in time, the title track, "Unified" comes up next and does just that. While Sweet & Lynch is without a doubt a rock outfit built on the solid guitar work of George Lynch, it is the subtle, almost ethereal keyboard floating above the verses that conjures up images of big hair, Aqua Net, and spandex, and for this Roman Rocker, that always fits the bill.
Is it the theme song to a 1970's sci-fi film? No, that's just the intro to "Find Your Way," the seventh song, but despite prompting us to imagine George and Michael dressing like Space Ace Frehley, this one is again solidly in the vein of Sweet & Lynch's first album with thundering vocals and good, meat-and-potatoes guitar work.
"Heart of Fire," track 8, is a true sing-along song. Great harmonies on the chorus bring this one home, and by this point in the album, you've pretty much stopped paying attention to whatever else you were doing and have just settled back into the music. But at the 2:39 mark, you look at your device or record player with a "what is that?" expression on your face as George Lynch takes off on a solo that goes in an unexpected direction.
Track 9, "Bridge of Broken Lies," could have been a Michael Sweet solo number. In both music and lyrics, it sounds as if it could have come from his 2014 album I'm Not Your Suicide. A slow number that explores the pain of broken relationships, it is a solid rocker that really opens up with Lynch's solo in a blues-rock groove.
Dark and foreboding that explodes with wailing guitar. That's what you get with the opening of the tenth song, "Better Man." And then comes another surprise, for this is a love song. Again there is the '80s-inspired keyboard and driving, child-of-the-'80s rhythm and guitar wail.
The final number, "Live To Die," opens with a straightforward rock drum and guitar attack, but when the vocals kick in, you would swear you were in 2005 and listening to a lost recording for Stryper's Reborn album for the first two minutes. The solo that enters at that point gives you the Sweet & Lynch vibe from their first album, and then shifts again at the 3:00 mark to sound like a Michael Sweet trademark guitar assault.
This is an album for music lovers, and by that I mean it is a project that those who are genuinely interested in the making of music will enjoy. It experiments. It plays with different sounds from what we are used to from these musicians. It mixes things up, proudly reveals its roots in other eras and styles of music, and creates something new. This is what music making is all about, and this what musicians, not merely entertainers, seek to do.
As I said before, I'm a huge Michael Sweet fan, but it is not for that reason that I note this is his project. Yes, George, James, and Brian brought their tremendous talents to the table, but if you watch any of the behind-the-scenes videos (here, here, and here) you will see just how much Michael was the ringmaster of this musical circus. These are some of his most interesting and heartfelt lyrics to date, his vocals in even this wide range of styles are spot on, and his ability to arrange and get the sounds he is looking for all add up to one thing. The guy is a serious musician who has aged better than a fine wine, and when you put musicians the likes of George, James, and Brian in the same studio with him, the result is fantastic music for the serious and discerning listener.
