German melodic hard-rock band Pink Cream 69 is back with their eleventh disc, Ceremonial, which is their first studio disc since 2007’s In10sity. For anyone who isn’t up to speed with PC69’s music - to give a reference point - the band’s original vocalist Andi Deris left in 1994 to join Helloween. This isn’t to say that PC69 is a power metal outfit – rather they play gritty but melodic, guitar-driven arena rock and their sound would fit well sharing a bill with a band like Helloween. For those who are familiar with the band, Ceremonial includes a familiar mix of hard-rock AOR anthems and rock ballads but - this time out - the band adds some heavy, blues-based numbers, which feature thick guitar riffs wrapped into a near-claustrophobic wall of sound.

The disc starts out strong with “Land of Confusion”, which opens with a brief middle-eastern guitar line before the band kicks in with some big, bluesy, groove-oriented riffs. “Wasted Years” and “Special” follow this track and these two songs are a return to PC69’s classic AOR sound. “Find Your Soul” and “Right From Wrong” go back into the bluesy dirge (sort of AIC sounding) of the first track which “Find Your Soul” complements with some psychedelic leanings. The band keeps pushing the borders of the genre with “Let the Thunder Roll”, which shows them almost crossing over into power metal territory. The band slows the tempos and brings in some acoustic guitar for ”Passage of Time” and “King for One Day” (which sounds a bit like Whitesnake) but both of these numbers have more teeth and b*lls than most of the current rock ballads of today. The disc ends on a high note with “Superman”, which is a slow-burning rocker that sounds like late 70’s Bad Company.

While Pink Cream 69 may not (yet) have a lot of name recognition in the US, fans of melodic hard rock would be well served checking out this new disc.



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Pink Cream 69