Claus Lessmann is one of my favorite singers out there as his rich body of work both with Bonfire and Phantom 5 has put a permanent stamp on the European hard rock scene. Michael Voss is another accomplished musician with a very productive back catalogue with bands like Mad Max, Casanova, Demon Drive, Phantom 5 and others. In the last few years, he has turned his attention to the production aspect of the music industry but still he remains a musical force to be reckoned with. Needless to say that the expectations were high upon receiving the news of the release of “Rock Is Our Religion”. Did those two veterans achieve what we were all eagerly waiting from them?
Let’s see…
“Rock Is Our Religion” is really a sonic crossroad where the past meets the future (or more accurately, the present) as the songs themselves portray a nostalgic 80s feeling but at the same are not out of place with the current state of rock music. In addition, the production and the overall arrangement is flawless while the band’s performance in the studio is stellar. Having said that, the compositions won’t change the world, but they will definitely…rock our world! This is an album with that special sonic aura that will “push” you listening to it over and over again in the years to come. Personally, I’d have loved to listen to more old school Bonfire and Casanova type of songs but that’s just me!
All in all, I really enjoyed “Rock Is Our Religion” and hopefully we will get to hear more from Lessmann and Voss in the future. After all, Lessmann’s voice brings back memories from the golden age of hard rock music!
Highlight: Will there be a third Phantom 5 record…? I sincerely hope so!
