Rated X - Rated X

Published November 11 2014

*=Staff's pick	Get Back My Crown* This Is Who I Am Fire And Ice I Don't Cry No More Lhasa* Devil In Disguise You Are The Music Peace Of Mind Maybe Tonight On The Way To Paradise Our Love Is Not Over Stranger In Us All*

Genre	Hard Rock	Joe Lynn Turner	Vocals
Tracks	12	Karl Cochran	Guitar
Running time	63 Min.	-	Guitar
Label	Frontiers Records	Tony Franklin	Bass
Release	07 November 2014	Carmine Appice	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboard
Producer	Alessandro Del Vecchio
Similar artists	---

Additional guitars by Nikolo Kotzev (5 tracks) and Daniel Palmqvist (1 track). Keyboards by Alessandro Del Vecchio.

Classic hard rock with Rated X. A new project which naturally, whether someone agrees or not, fall under the epithet of a supergroup. The names in the list above basically speak for themselves. With their roots mainly in the 60's and 70's, this total outfit including producer Alessandro Del Vecchio, in terms of songwriting, tries to rearrange past times with a tad of a modern twist to it.

The arrangements are pretty much set up to fit the voice of Joe Lynn Turner of course and to me there's really a lack of originality in Rated X's music. The keystones of the music are nevertheless actually rather appealing, still the band really can't execute on the occasion and hit the higher shelves. This is definitely no rejuvenation in any way and I miss more of a kick-ass approach and the end result doesn't come out as attractive as I was looking for initially. It simply doesn't set your body in motion and it also seems a little contrived.

The record is never able to come close to the point of razor sharp precision, even if the music is basically performed in a way suitable for this type of experience. The songs never crack big-time and the band somehow struggles in the first gear without being able to build up a solid momentum. Does this album stink? Most definitely not, but if they wanna be in the conversation of the best, it will undoubtedly require songs with stronger impacts.

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
6	3	6	6	5

Summary
5 chalices of 10 - Tobbe