Aside from the semi-comical name which always gives me a chuckle and an opening track titled ‘Touching You Every Day’ which gives me a light smile I really enjoy these guys and their outlandish AOR that begins with that opening track and grows slightly cheesier with ‘I’ve Never Been Alone (With A Girl Like You Before)’ that follows. For me at least (and I could be alone in this) It’s that sense of fun that sets these Londoners apart from a lot of those who inhabit this often too serious genre.
When I first heard these guys and their EP a few years back there were certainly more Metal leanings, mainly in the harder riffs, but now Shaft of Steel is distinctly AOR and tracks like “All Because of You’ and it’s lush and laid back feel make them serious contenders in the genre.
Indeed with songs like ‘Together as One Tonight’ I’d challenge any lover of vintage US AOR not to love this album. It might have been a long time coming after the self-released EP dropped in 2014 but this is surely close to the best AOR you’ll hear all year and it’s only January as I write these words with confidence. If you love new bands in the genre like Work of Art, these guys are their equal.
Track List: 1. Touching You Every Day, 2. I’ve Never Been Alone (With a Girl Like You Before), 3. All Because of You, 4. Together as One Tonight, 5. Vulnerable Man, 6. Falling Through the Flames, 7. Body and Mind, 8. Lucky Girl, 9. You See Smoke When I See Fire, 11. Every Time I Look at You
Line-up: Robert Fenning – Lead Vocals; Alex Markham – Guitars; Adam Carruthers – Guitars; Dominic Swords – Bass; Chris Smurthwaite – Keyboards; Michael Levy – Drums
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