Rome, they say, wasn’t built in a day and though that may be true it’s also true that the new Babylon A.D. album bearing that name, might just be the comeback that 80’s Rock fans have been waiting for.
Back in the late 80’s Hard Rock was king, never exactly ruling the airwaves or as dominant as the grand old days of the 70’s, but at the top of its game. Sadly as we all know the music industry always chases it’s tail and by the end of the decade things were getting a little crowded. There were a huge number of bands signed, and without the benefit of the internet it was a lottery if your band got noticed. Everything relied on so many variables: did you get financial support from your label? Did you get a slot on a good tour? Did your video get picked up by MTV or placed in a movie? With so many bands signed few of the yet to be established names actually toured, even if they had a record to support.
In the 80’s unless you were a solid seller so few U.S. bands actually ventured outside of North America. It made it interesting when they did though. But the reality was that U.K. audiences often never got to see some bands. Sadly Babylon A.D. never got to play outside the U.S. in their heyday, only making it for Firefest in 2014. It took me till 2015 to catch them three times on the Monsters of Rock Cruise that year. They were a force of nature for a band that played surprisingly few dates in their prime. Some bands you see sadly never got on the trail, and between 1990 and 1992 before the first split Babylon A.D. only racked up around 40 shows.
I loved so many bands growing up in the late 80’s, and some have stayed with me over time, few have always been there but Babylon A.D. is one of those bands that in my opinion should always have been huge. If you listen to those first two records today, for me they stand up as two of the very best of the era.
When I started The Rockpit, 15 years ago the first people I wanted to talk to were those that made music that I loved, it was all very selfish but it worked because the whole point of the site was to tell people about the music I considered great or underrated. One of the first people that was generous enough to talk to be was Ron Fresci and I’ll always remember that interview. Over the years Derek has become a regular interview, he’s just the coolest guy and like Ron incredibly generous with his time. Over the 15 years I’ve spoken to every member of the band except John Matthew and new bassist Craig Pepe, which I aim to rectify.
So with all the 80’s bands that are still going (in whatever format, or with varying numbers of classic members) or again roaring to life 35 years later why should you listen to Babylon A.D.? The reason is simple – firstly they were always so much better than the majority of bands that launched at the time. If that’s not enough to entice you, then consider this: they have just put out a new record called ‘Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day’ that has actually recaptured the sound of the albums they made in their 20’s.
Babylon A.D. of course never really went away. They had their hiatuses but each time they regrouped they punched out something great. Even the heavier ‘American Blitzkrieg’ from 2000 is a great listen and I can highly recommend Derek’s solo work and Ron’s Syrum. There’s some talented guys in the Babylon A.D. ranks for sure.
After ‘Blitzkrieg’ another hiatus eventually led to a reformation in 2014 for ‘Firefest’ – that set went down as one of the shows of the Festival, relying heavily on the first album, it lifted the profile. It wasn’t until 2017 (with a few shows between) that a new record emerged named – ‘Revelation Highway’. It was a great comeback for a band of the era and certainly had its moments, though not quite capturing the glory days.
Fast forward to 2024… I got hold of a copy of ‘Rome’ a few months before release and I can honesty say I haven’t stopped playing it since. If you love 80’s Hard Rock this is an essential purchase. Before release I spoke to Ron, Derek and Dylan and was planning a huge composite interview. The faithful laptop died a day after I completed the last interview just before I’d backed it up.
My IT guy reclaimed the content today and there are three great interviews on the way!
Don’t forget to grab a copy of the album too and support Independent Artists…
