United-Forces-Of-Rock Festival Ludwigsburg, Germany Oct. 29, 2005

By Sven Horlemann, on location on behalf of MelodicRock.com.

An extraordinary festival for melodic rock. Fans from all over Europe came to see some of the best melodic rock bands available –
Hartmann (German newcomer)
Pump (German newcomer)
Blanc Faces (melodic rock highlight from US)
Casanova (veteran German melodic rockers come back)
Jaded Heart (veteran German band with new singer)
Legs Diamond (US heavy rock legend)
Seventh Key (featuring Billy Greer of Kansas, Mike Slamer & Terry Brock)
Wetton/Downes (founding members of Asia)
Pride Of Lions (Survivor successor featuring Jim Peterik)

All right, were do I begin? First of all thanks to everyone who made this event possible German Rock It! magazine, Frontiers Records, Escape Music, AOR Heaven, Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg, the promoters, the crew. It was a pleasure to work with everyone.
Secondly, to the bands who delivered in such unique way, and finally to the audience that made it a nearly sold out show.
Let me give a rough impression on the heat and emotion...

Hartmann
Unfortunately I did only catch a song from the soundcheck as well as a glimpse of the last song. What I heard on the soundcheck was quite impressing. The guys were so tight that I first thought it was a CD playing, but after going up to the stage and you can it was evident that this was indeed live (The Rockfabrik is a club, divided into different sections with no direct view on the stage).
Also impressive the attendance of the fans at 240 p.m., nearly half of the Rockfabrik already was filled! Only 12 hours to go till curfew...

Hartmann's debut solo album Out In The Cold (Oliver Hartmann is the main man) was promoted nicely. Let's wait and see what the future may bring.

Pump
If you are into Krokus, Shakra etc. you might like Pump. Straight ahead songs, good riffing from the guitar players and rough and down-to-earth vocals. Again because of interviews I missed most of the concert.

Blanc Faces
Blanc Faces got 90% on this site's CD review. Personally I would have voted for a mid-eighties rating, and I'm glad Robbie La Blanc (singer / guitar player) could agree on my feelings on the CD. I think the band holds back on their debut. Blanc Faces (the CD) is a signal on how things could be if the dogs get off the chain. At least I was fortunate enough to get the chance to check the band out live.
Well, holding back is not what you would like to say about a show of Blanc Faces. The energy level is much higher, the band grooves and rolls only tamed by their own song structures.
The show started with the CD opener Here's To You and We'll Make The Best Of It. People instantly got into the tight groove and positive attitude of the band. Center of the attention is Robbie, acting nice and kind and making everyone feel welcome. The band enjoyed every minute of their set, and especially Robbie and Brian seemed glad for this opportunity to rock out to a European audience.
Surprisingly a great attendance gave the La Blanc brothers Robbie and Brian as well as their band members the chance to give the best they got. Excellent how Robbie took the opportunity to entertain meanwhile the crew tried to resolve some trouble with the bass with Toto's Georgy Porgy.
The crowd surprised me - I expected most of them not being aware of Blanc Faces and their CD, but singing along several refrains proved me wrong. The band must be taken by surprise too, cause Robbie missed the first chance for a sing-a-long during Turn This World Around. Amazing with Turn This World Around being the 4th (!) song in the set, following a hard rocking performance of Staying Power, one of my favorites.
Edge Of The World (my 2nd favorite) and We Will Rise ended the regular gig. The boys were back with a powerful rendition of the Grand Funk Railroad classic We're An American Band.

Blanc Faces? No. Happy faces. On stage, in the club. Everywhere.

Casanova
Apart from the new CD All Beauty Must Die I know their debut album, which was quite a success in 1991. Henry Staroste, producer of Warlock, a well known heavy metal band featuring Doro Pesch worked with the band on their debut CD. Beginning of the nineties Casanova were seen as THE best new hard rock band in Germany by many. Nevertheless, after a second CD (One Night Stand) and an EP they split amicable. A semi-comeback in 1999 (Heroes) was only released in Japan. 2004 saw them come back with a new CD summing up all their best songwriting and playing.
Don't Talk About Love (from the debut) started of the set with heavy rhythms and a great hookline. The band received a warm welcome from the crowd. Hollywood Angels and a new song (Not Over You) as well as One Of These Days (from One Night Stand), Burning Heart and Doctor Love were next. The latter a song based on a riff from Wolf Hoffmann (Accept) who did write it especially for Casanova. Last song in the set was Ride The Wings Of Freedom, another great and very heavy track from 1991.
Casanova's main man Michael Voss (vocals, guitar) has a distinct and original voice that has the power to carry through a heavy set. At the same time his voice got a soothing quality that makes him a very good singer of ballads.

The guys (original members Michael Eurich, Jochen Mayer, Stephan Neumeier) rocked the house, surprisingly focusing on songs from the marvelous debut CD.

Jaded Heart
Interviews prevented me from seeing their concert. Veteran German (founded 1990) band feature a new singer (the Swede Johan Fahlberg, ex-Scudiero replacing Michael Bormann) and people who saw the concert told me that Jaded Heart made a complete different impression, leaving their old melodic area of expertise and turning into a more heavier direction. Jaded Heart were promoting a new CD, Helluva Time, and the concert seemed to be a success.

Legs Diamond
The United-Forces-Of-Rock Festival gave legendary Legs Diamond the first chance to play in Europe. The band just released their new CD Diamonds Are Forever, the first within 12 years (1993's The Wish). Like Jaded Heart they had to replace their original singer, although this time this split being amicable, with Rick Sandford quitting not only the band but the music business in general.
It proved a lucky occasion to have played in the past some concerts with Ronnie Montrose, cause this had introduced Legs Diamond to singer extraordinaire John Levesque. Even then they thought, if ever they needed a new singer he should be like that. Little did they know that John thought much the same about Legs Diamond while watching their show.
Within 2 days after Rick Sandford leaving John was the new singer and rehearsals began.
2005 Legs Diamond consist of original members Michael Prince (keyboards, guitar), Roger Romeo (lead guitar) and Jeff Poole (drums), as well as Adam Kury (bass, joined 1993) and the aforementioned John Levesque (lead vocals).
Out On Bail (Land Of The Gun) started a dynamic set that fulfilled all expectations. I am not familiar with all songs / records from Legs Diamond , but they played among others King Of Speed a good energetic rocker (Diamonds Are Forever), Let Go another new song with AC/DC rhythm (Diamonds Are Forever), the classics Fugitive (Land Of The Gun) and Walk Away (Land Of The Gun). They ended their 50 minute set with Woman, a seventies classic that starts ballad-esque but builds a great momentum culminating in the refrain.

Legs Diamond deliver the best US heavy rock you could see anywhere in a club. Their classic songs stand the test of time, the new songs do not in any way miss the classic quality. New singer John Levesque is everything you expect from an experienced rock 'n' roller, being up to the task every single second. 40 minutes are not much time to play all classic songs from 1976 to 2005 , so what do you do? Of course concentrating on the absolute highlights of their catalogue and some new gems. What about opening for the next Deep Purple tour?

Seventh Key
This indeed was special occasion. Seventh Key made their first ever gig. They did recently cut a live DVD, but that was a special occasion, set up only for the DVD shoot and with invited fans, friends and family. Secondly, as main man Billy Greer (bass player of Kansas) indicated, finally Mike Slamer played live on stage in Europe, something I did (guitar fiddler myself) very much look forward to. Nobody knew that this gig would also decide on whether and how Seventh Key would continue to work together.
Well, after that concert, I am glad to assure you that there will be a third Seventh Key CD according to Mike Slamer. A surprise also is the addition of Terry Brock of Strangeways fame, who did a lot of studio work in the past, including backing vocals on both Seventh Key releases. Terry played rhythm guitar, adding to the heavy sound, and doubled parts of Billy Greer's vocals. The result is a sound that is not far from the records. Mike Slamer is a guitar genius up to the most melodic and technical abilities. In a way he reminds me of TNT's Ronnie LeTekro. Both are guitarists with a great technical abilities, but happen to conduct their parts in an amazing way. Secondly both got their own tone and deliver great heartfelt melodies in their solos.
The sound was heavy and loud. Seventh Key were the first to play to a packed club.
The Sun Will Rise opened the show and they blew me away. Excellent musicians, great songs, clever arrangements. Very good. Time passed to quickly with An Ocean Away, Only The Brave, Always From The Heart, You Cross The Line, Sin City and Winds Of War marking one highlight after the other. Dr. Love ended the show, introduced by Billy Greer as a special to Mike Slamer, who did write this song (Steelhouse Lane, Hardline). Great and heavy groover.
Seventh Key did come back with the classic Streets title (although this is an old Billy Greer title from pre-Streets era), Cold Hearted Woman.

Seventh Key are heavy and melodic. The set list concentrated on the latest CD (The Raging Fire). They are nice guys enjoying their songs and were glad to play this gig. The magic was there, the musicianship was amazing, the friendship between the members for all to see. The crowd gave them a warm welcome and would have loved to hear another 2-3 songs, which time didn't permit. I hope to see them live again soon!

Wetton/Downes
This was one of the few concerts Wetton/Downes played promoting their latest effort Icon. It was very hard for me to accept that I missed most of the show due to scheduling conflicts. So while having a very nice conversation with Mike Slamer, Wetton/Downes started their much awaited gig, and the club was packed. John struggled a bit with his vocals, but delivered nicely, Geoffrey being up to the task as ever, their sidemen on guitar and drums performing flawless. I knew from the interview that a lot of Asia songs could be expected to be in the set list, so it was no surprise to me that the end of the concert features gems like Voice Of America, Don't Cry, Open Your Eyes, Sole Survivor and, finally, the much expected Heat Of The Moment.

Wetton/Downes are the classic Asia team. As long as they write and produce excellent records like Icon, their latest effort, I will always look out for a concert near my hometown. I do hope that, like John said, there will be some more concerts in 2006.

Pride Of Lions
I was skeptical. Survivor made history, and main songwriter Jim Peterik a few years ago started his own “vehicle“ for his songs - Pride Of Lions with the underline Toby Hitchcock / Jim Peterik. This gives a distinct idea on the understanding of Pride Of Lions – Toby might “only“ be the singer, but man, what a voice.
Pride Of Lions have been controversially discussed on the melodic rock forum, which to me indicates 2 things. First they have to meet high expectations due to Jim Peteriks famous past with Survivor, which always included the singer's performance. Secondly most of the fans didn't have had a chance to see them live to make up their minds themselves.
Coming from a DVD recording in Belgium, this headlining gig definitely marked a highlight of all concerts ever played by the band.
The guys are incredible, this includes every single player in the band. The keyboard player looks like someone from a nu-metal band (uh!), but puts on a show on his own. Very funny guy and energetic performance Mr. Cullen! Bassist Klem Hayes is just a pleasure to watch and has developed some special moves... Ed Breckenfeld on drums and lead guitarist Mike Aquino are effective sidemen and absolutely brilliant in their musical contribution. This leaves, of course, Jim Peterik on guitar, keyboard and occasional lead vocals as well as Toby Hitchcock on lead vocals.
To make it clear once and for all - Toby's performance was flawless. What you hear on the CD is perfectly reproduced and lives up to the expectations.
You might want to choose to not like his voice, whether it is too much sounding like any Survivor singer or because it is not sounding like that. Fact is, he sings his stuff perfectly. Fact again that he loves to sing his parts, putting heart and soul into every single word. Toby just nailed it in such a nice and convincing way, that nobody (nobody!) questioned his vocal abilities. This includes the Survivor hits in the set list. Also it was for everyone to see how much Toby, as well as every single band member, enjoyed the show. Playing together on stage frees up energy in a way you can't possibly achieve in any other environment. The concert convinced me that, without having Survivor existing prior to Pride Of Lions, people wouldn't question performance and quality of the songs.
Show started 0:45, that was 15 minutes after the scheduled curfew. Planned were 70 minutes, but the remaining attendance of the crowd, the positive vibe, and the enthusiastic performance of the band extended to a full 95 minutes gig that ended at 02:20 a.m. with a rendition of the [Peterik written] Sammy Hagar classic Heavy Metal.

Show opened with It's Critical and She's My Angel (both from the debut Pride Of Lions), Pride Of Lions' Eye Of The Tiger (Unbreakable). What a brilliant start! Could it get any better? Yes. The magnificient Man Behind The Mask (The Destiny Stone) and Music And Me were next, classic Pride Of Lions songs in character, attitude and with a great melody.
Can't Hold Back marked the first Survivor song, and though it was great to hear that classic it struck me that compared to the other Pride Of Lions songs it didn't stand out as I would have expected. Especially with What Kind Of Fool (The Destiny Stone) and Sound Of Home (Pride Of Lions) being next everyone could see how good the Pride Of Lions songs are.
I'm Your Vehicle, the old Ides Of March classic opened a more session like part of the show. Here Jim Peterik took over lead vocals and rocked on his guitar, delivering a nice solo improvisation that clearly surprised his band. He then had fun asking whether anyone knew the song from that Rocky soundtrack, meaning Burning Heart from Rocky 4. Before the show there were a lot of people asking to play Survivor's Oceans. Funny enough, when asked what to play next, an enthusiastic fan shouted Oceans. The band was happy to deliver, and it was a superb performance.
Black Ribbon, the charity single mellowed the mood a bit, and then it was time for an ultra extended version of the one and only Eye Of The Tiger.
This performance easily topped the festival, and after 9 bands and over 11 hours of constant music, people were to enthusiastic to let Pride Of Lions go.
They came back with Survivor's The Search Is Over, with stunning vocals from Toby. Personally I am more into the rockers, but to me that would have been the perfect ending of the show. Still they did come back with a special showdown, playing Sammy Hagar's Heavy Metal with surprising heaviness. At least I can tell now that Toby is able to put on a pretty aggressive vocal style if he wants to.

Pride Of Lions are not a good band – they are a great band. Combined with a few gems from the Survivor song catalogue this is the best melodic rock band you are able to see live these days. I do hope you get your chance to see them. I certainly look forward to their next European concert. Let's wait and see how label mates (!) Survivor try to win the fans with their next CD. Pride Of Lions – maybe the true Survivor(s)? Forgive my enthusiasm, but they've won me over.

Sven Horlemann