We had to wait 34 for the return of Alcatrazz…34 years! Yes, all its members –past and present- went their own way staying busy with other projects and bands but the truth is that the brand name “ALCATRAZZ” is such a dynamic force to be reckoned with that almost instantly casts a heavy shadow on everything else. Naturally, the spotlight is turned to Graham Bonnet whose voice remains as powerful and impressive as ever while his overall presence is majestic and classy at the same time. So, let’s go take a deeper look at what “Born Innocent” had in store for us…
For starters, I must point out that this is one of the finest hard rock albums of 2020 and I dare to say that this is the natural follow-up to the band’s classic debut “No Parole From Rock N’ Roll”. Yes, I know…“Disturbing The Peace” was a great record. Of course, it was. But Steve Vai’s guitar changed the neoclassical sound of “No Parole…”. Now, all those elements of the first album are making a thunderous return and most importantly the songs themselves have a significant quality that “force” you to play the album again and again. From a musical standpoint, “Born Innocent” is the ideal crossroad where “No Parole…” meets the atmosphere of “The Book” (the album that Graham released with the Graham Bonnet Band back in 2016) while some scattered elements of Impellitteri’s “Stand in Line” can be found here and there.
Speaking of “Stand in Line”, Chri Impellitteri has written the music and plays all the guitars on the title track while such distinguished guests as Dario Mollo, Don Van Stavern, Bob Kulick (R.I.P.), Jeff Waters etc. participate on “Born Innocent”. Last but certainly not least, it would be a mishap if we didn’t underline the fact that the performance of all the band members is absolutely perfect while the production is crystal clear.
So…was it worth the wait? Absolutely! But now we can’t wait for an imminent new studio album…and the bar is raised high. Thank you for the music, guys!
Highlight: Graham Bonnet’s vocal take and interpretation of the song “Warth Lane” is breathtaking…and the lyrics are really emotional.
