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April 2024

• War Grave: War Grave EP
• Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
• Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
• Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
• Turbulence: Binary Dream
• Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
• D'Luna: Monster
• Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
• Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help

February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
• Robert Hart: Circus Life

January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

King Zebra: Between The Shadows

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR

5.0/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 10.04.2024 | Released: 12.04.2024

My first experience with Switzerland's King Zebra was their eponymous 2019 EP which marked their first recording with American and ex-China vocalist Eric St. Michaels. From that short EP came Firewalker which garnered more than two million streams. In 2020, the quintet would return to the studio to record their third long player, Survivors. Appearing on the Golden Robot label, the album featured Thundermother singer Guernica Mancini on Wall of Confusion. Meanwhile, across those few years King Zebra would perform with Crash Diet, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Uriah Heep, and more. Now, the band returns with their third album, Between The Shadows, now signed to Italy's Frontiers Music.

King Zebra

From their inception, King Zebra had one goal in mind: create catchy and entertaining classic AOR melodic hard rock. Let's not quibble here. Their sound is basically, and unapologetically, 1987 deja vu. A twin guitar attack is assisted by rock rhythm and groove, strong song melody and vocal harmony, memorable refrains, and epic guitar solos. St. Michaels remains a consistent melodic voice.

Another thing not to quibble with here: most every song is spot on and terrific, reaching the band's goal. So much so, it's definitely hard to pick out some favorites. Nevertheless, some epic and infectious rockers arrive with Dina, Cyanide, With You Forever, Starlight, and especially Children Of The Night, some grand gang vocals in that one. Surprisingly, there's no classic power ballad. Maybe Dina. But another listener might make an argument for a different song. If there's a wrinkle in the mix, it might be the closer, Restless Revolution which played riff thick, heavy, and much slower than other songs. But this does not effect the overall consistent quality of this album.

All in all, with Between The Shadows, King Zebra once more shows their talent for creating catchy, consistent, and entertaining classic AOR melodic hard rock. It can be a rare feat, but King Zebra nails the genre. Easily recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

With Between The Shadows, King Zebra once more shows their talent for creating catchy, consistent, and entertaining classic AOR melodic hard rock. It can be a rare feat, but King Zebra nails the genre. Easily recommended.

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Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]

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