OCEAN HILLS – Santa Monica [Digipak Edition +3] (2020)

OCEAN HILLS is the new project of vocalist Zoli Téglás – also a Hollywood actor (Terminator: Dark Fate). However, Ocean Hills is not a one-man project. Peter Lukacs (guitars), Daniel Szebenyi (keyboards, bass) and Reinder Oldenburger (guitars) share Teglas‘ vision and were key to bringing it to life.
While Téglás has also been the frontman for the bands Pennywise and the Misfits, Ocean Hills is a much more commercial, mainstream hard rock outfit. Their debut album ”Santa Monica” is all about melodic riffs with a modern edge, and title track speaks for itself: “Santa Monica is about sand, the beach, and living life, with fun and happiness. With all the negativity and fear going on in today’s world, this song is very much needed. So if you’re into guitar solos and Rock N Roll this song is for you”.

Ocean Hills bring their own spin of groove-laden working-class musicality to the dinner table and the group exceedingly distribute a very punchy debut record to be solemnly reckoned with to the ears of listeners.
This record has the balls, attitude and honesty to provide Rock fans with an absolute delight. It’s modern hard rock, however with some 80s / 90s touches like on the drums ‘processed’ sound production.
As a whole, ”Santa Monica” is cool hymn book of bombastic tracks and harmonious appreciation.

Firing from all cylinders, the boys kick us off with the anthemic hellraiser ‘Bound’, delivering the goods and hounding listeners with colossal tentacles then astutely escorting the flock with what is to come on this stupendous offering before conciliating down a notch with single hit ‘Santa Monica’ and eventually reaching the bone crushing ‘Death and Liberty’.
Moreover, Ocean Hills can unquestionably be congratulated on their diversified contrasts of highly-commanding euphonious creativity here and it undeniably peaks through the clouds on every single one of these songs in the most grandeur construction; gloriously shining through like a gleaming summers’ day.

In addition, the feeling and tonality of the sweet-soothing guitar harmonies on ‘Like A Lady’ are reminiscent of something Bachman-Turner Overdrive would be ultimately proud of and the most consequential subject to note with all these fitting compartments is that they will certainly grow on you no matter how hard you try to resist the temptation.
On the other side of town, Ocean Hills really hit home with the notable and face-melting heaviness of ‘A Separate Peace’; the outfit are really on fire at this point and you can even hear the range of influences bursting through the seams with a bridge that current-era Europe frontman Joey Tempest would be overjoyed with.

As the progression foothold takes place ticking off the tracks one by one, the pace drops down a touch towards the latter end to become more of a Melodic Rock outlet and it does not feel like you are listening to the same rocking assembly; this is not an inferior thing to cast your ears upon though.
Comprehensively, the transportation is the key to the portfolio of these catchy and indomitable tunes; reaching those tremendous heights of the new Modern-Rock world with high hopes that this is not a one-off project.
Highly Recommended

 

01 – Bound
02 – A Separate Peace
03 – Death or Liberty
04 – Like a Lady
05 – Santa Monica
06 – Budapest My Love
07 – Hold Me
08 – Angels Wings
09 – Vampire
10 – Christina
11 – There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
Bonus Tracks:
12. A Separate Peace (Extended Version)
13. Death Or Liberty (Extended Version)
14. Santa Monica (Extended Version)

Zoli Teglas (vocals)
Peter Lukacs (lead guitar)
Daniel Szebenyi (keyboards and bass)
Reinder Oldenburger (rhythm guitar)

 

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www.amazon.co.uk/Santa-Monica-Digipak-Ocean-Hills/dp/B089M61NH3