Album Review: Hardline - Life

As Hardline has been 'back' for several albums now, I keep hearing the same talk each time about how important each release is, because of what Hardline once was. I really hate that kind of talk, because I find it to be both pandering, and self-defeating. The attempts to hype that band as an important part of a scene from the past fall flat to me, because other than reading the press releases that come along with the records, I have never in my life heard anyone talk about Hardline. They might have made a few great albums at one point, but they haven't stuck around and endured. When you make the case that you're back after being forgotten about, you're ignoring a key question; why were you forgotten about in the first place?

This incarnation of the band features Johnny Gioeli, who I believe appeared on three records last year (his pop-leaning solo album being the best of them), and Alessandro Del Vecchio, who is responsible for more of the melodic rock coming out today than you would probably realize. That will become important in a minute.

Hardline fits naturally into the current scene, with over-saturated guitars that are wildly popular, even though I've always found they take away the bite from the riffs. The sound is big, and powerful, which gives Gioeli enough volume to push his voice. He is, as he's always been, the key appeal here. He's got one of those voices that has the perfect amount of grit, that can simultaneously sound aggressive and melodic, strained and relaxed. I haven't always felt he gets the best material to sing, but his talent as a singer has never been in question.

Lead single "Take A Chance" is great melodic rock, a catchy number you can sway along with. It will serve will in the near future when summer weather arrives, and we need some sunny music to fit the mood. Much of the rest of the album is trying to tilt towards the heavier side of the genre, which I don't think is the best decision. Johnny's voice gives the music enough grit that it isn't needed in the guitars, and the heavier and more involved riffs of "Helio's Sun" don't give as much room for the big melodies I expect from the genre. In fact, for being a melodic rock record, there aren't nearly as many big hooks and catchy choruses as I want to hear. The album is more rock, less melodic.

The other issue, as I prefaced earlier, is that it's also incredibly familiar. I don't mean it sounds like a Hardline album for Hardline fans, I mean the involvement of Del Vecchio as the main songwriter leaves the record sounding so much like countless other projects from the label he has had a hand in. If I took a few minutes to look through my archives, I could find at least a dozen albums most of these songs could have fit right in on. That doesn't make them bad, but when all these bands blend together, it's hard to see them as separate entities. Hardline, in that sense, is a continuation of Gioeli/Castronovo, and countless other bands. For a band that is being presented as a gem from the past, the lack of clarity in the present makes that harder to believe.

We get a few great songs, from "Out Of Time" and "Handful Of Sand", to the piano-driven ballad "Page Of Your Life". There are also a few songs that don't do the job they're supposed to, but that gets outweighed by the better material. Look, I'm not going to say "Life" is a great record, because I don't think it is. But for what it is, it's perfectly fine and enjoyable to listen to. It's biggest concern is getting lost in the pack, which is growing larger day by day.