HEALER – Heading For The Storm (2018)
There’s a lot to love about “Heading For The Storm”, Germany’s HEALER debut album. At first look, all ’80s references; the band name, album title, the logo design, even a Lamborghini Countach on the cover.
And yeah, musically too; they play a darn good mix ’70s / 80s influenced melodic rock / hard, and a pinch of AOR.
Healer may be a relatively new band, but the members of this Münster six-piece are by no means beginners: guitarist Florian Füntmann is part of Long Distance Calling and Misery Speaks, his partner Robert Kahr played in the past with Zodiac, while keyboarder Nils Weise is member of Orden Ogan.
All musicians from the metal scene, yet like most of them, born n’ raised in Classic Rock.
These three – plus their colleagues Christian Demter (drums), Jonas Hülsermann (bass) and Michael Scheel (vocals) – show here their love for classic rock: traditional (melodic) hard rock with role models like ’80s Deep Purple, early Whitesnake, Foreigner or UFO, and why not, some Journey circa 1981.
However, “Heading For The Storm” sounds fresh, modern, and all the 10 tracks on this CD – you don’t need more, this has a feeling like a classic vinyl LP – are strong and vital.
Indeed, there’s not a highlight to mention, all tracks are good, melodic and catchy.
Scheel owns a classic set of vocal pipes bringing to mind many ’80s legends, the guitar riffs are punchy yet in control, melodious, and you have organ / synth runs all over the album – always at the service of the song.
As said, all good numbers, but if you ask me for my favorites the AORish ‘What Lovers Do’ wins the prize, while ‘Big Dreamer’ is the only, but great ballad on the album.
‘Never judge an album for its cover’ doesn’t apply here: do it, trust Healer’s “Heading For The Storm” front picture; it’s all great ’80s stuff, very, very enjoyable as a whole.
Highly Recommended
01 – Desert Star
02 – Heading For The Storm
03 – What Lovers Do
04 – Strangers Of The Night
05 – Big Dreamers
06 – Same Old Road
07 – Liars Day
08 – Healer
09 – Rolling Thunder
10 – Times Of Defeat
Michael Scheel – Vocals
Flo Füntmann – Guitar
Robert Kahr – Guitar
Jonas Hülsermann – Bass
Christian Demter – Drums
Nils Weise – Keys
BUY IT !
www.amazon.de/Heading-Storm-Healer/dp/B07J35QFYM
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