LOUD N’ CLEAR – Playing With Thunder (2013)

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Not only LOUD N’ CLEAR sports a band name of one of the best melodic hard rock albums of all time, their music is also purely influenced by the sounds that ruled the Californian / US Rock scene during the late ’80s.
But Loud N’ Clear hails from Israel, whose debut “Playing With Thunder” easily could have been released in that era, and who knows, maybe with great success.

However, success is exactly what has been dodging to Loud N’ Clear in their native land since 2004, despite one of band’s first songs (“Runaway”) gained considerable airplay in local radio. Ironically, the same story happened to many acts playing this genre twenty-five years ago.
But the band remained strong in their purpose and finally were able to release “Playing With Thunder”. Who knows, if Israel wasn’t open enough to give Loud N’ Clear a chance in the past, maybe the world will in near future.
Loud N’ Clear plays classic late eighties US hard rock with an edge propelled by catchy melodies. ‘Rikki Reckless’ Enav owns the right pitch for this style and the rhythm section is quite solid, but the star in this recording is the guitar duo of Amir Eldor / Tommy Foxx Darmon whose twin razor attack carry the songs with energy and great riffs & solos.

The piles of aggression and sleaziness in a Skid Row vein of the jagged “New Solution” proves to be a compelling opener for this kind of album. You’ll envision flailing hair and outrageous stage antics when the crunchy guitar riffs kicks in.
Next, “Hold On” is much more commercial with a slightly first Bon Jovi feel, and although the over-the-top vocals show a couple of doubts during the higher registers, the chorus is extremely catchy begging you to sing along. Throw-in a dazzling guest guitar solo by King Lizard’s Niro Knox and this track quickly becomes the band’s shining moment, easily succeeding despite its occasional imperfections.
In “Rise” the guitars are stiffer, driving a midtempo groove with a Black ‘N Blue vibe, followed by the power ballad “Without You”, emotionally vibrant and well rounded.
“Poison Love” is the album’s stronger moment in my opinion, a Dokken-esque number with a very good refrain, big
rhythm section and a killer riff. Then in the middle we have a very nice interaction between clean & razor guitars, and the solo is meaty, tasteful.
Still retaining a hard rock sound, “Breathe” is more hair metal oriented especially on the chorus, while the two guitars builds a strong melodic atmosphere akin Icon. For the end, the band has included their old track “Runaway” featuring former singer Lev Krezhner, a cool hard rocker recalling XYZ in style.

On their debut “Playing With Thunder” Loud N’ Clear expresses their love for the Californian hard rock heyday with a handful set of well written and performed melodic tunes, adding to the proceedings a rough & tough touch.
The guys have learned the lesson of how-to recreate the larger than life sounds and attitude of an era, and Loud N’ Clear do it well. Regardless of their current location, the musicianship and stylings comes out as if they were bred on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip in the mid ’80s.
Despite its minor flaws, “Playing With Thunder” is worth to investigate, especially if you like strong guitar playing and catchy rockin’ melodies from the golden decade.

01. New Solution
02. Hold On
03. Rise
04. Without You
05. Poison Love
06. Breathe
07. Runaway (bonus track)

Rikki Reckless Enav – vocals
Amir Eldor – guitar
Tommy Foxx Darmon – rhythm guitar
Roman Chase – bass
Ralph Huber – drums
guests:
Niro Knox – guitar solo (2)
Lev Krezhner – vocals (7)
Mike Isaac – drums (7)

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loudnclear.bandcamp.com