Album Review: Hardline - Heart, Mind And Soul

Hardline keeps pumping out albums, but I almost wonder why. They don't have enough of a profile to generate a lot of interest in what they're doing, and they haven't been particularly active as a touring entity, so the music goes out to just the hardcore fans of the band. But that makes me wonder whether or not those fans want albums that are written by the label's in-house songwriter, and not by the classic Hardline lineup (again, I use words like that loosely, since Hardline is not 'classic' enough for me to have ever heard of them before this recent run of albums started).

The band has been stuck in an odd pattern in recent years, where they write half their songs to be riffy 80s rock songs, and half their songs to be more modern AOR. The latter influence is easily explained by who makes up the band now, but the two sides of their identity don't necessarily fit together. I get the sense they are trying to satisfy the old fans, while at the same time trying to fit in with what the melodic rock audience wants. Not commiting to one sound only serves to divide the albums in half, and disappoint both audiences some of the time.

This time around, they are more focused on going down the AOR route, but the results aren't quite what I had hoped for. There are a run of really good songs early on, with "Surrender", "If I Could I Would", and "Like That" all hitting the sweet spot of melodic goodness, capped off with Johnny Gioeli's gritty vocals. The album gets you to think they have finally figured all this out, and then you get "Heavenly" to bring things to a screeching halt. The ballad stretches almost seven minutes, and climaxes with a chorus of long, static notes. Sure, they showcase Gioeli's power as a singer, but they aren't satisfying as a melody. And with the song taking up so much time, the black mark is even larger.

The second half of the album isn't as strong as the first, but still has moments that are enjoyable. The biggest issue with the album is the same one that many other albums of this sort face; the same people are writing so many songs that none of the bands have an identity of their own. Other than Gioeli's voice, nothing separates Hardline from every other melodic rock band pulling songs off that same pile. Is that enough for a band to be unique enough to make an impact on listeners? Perhaps it will be for some, but it wasn't for me.

For the most part, I found myself enjoying this record, and perhaps more than the other recent efforts. Taken in an absolute vaccuum, "Heart, Mind And Soul" is a good melodic rock album that is a pleasant way to spend some time. But we don't live in a vaccuum, and I'm not going to pretend I don't think about these things in context. In that sense, Hardline does make the cut, but they aren't rising to the top. It's a fine album I won't complain about at all, but it will be in that second tier of records that never has a chance to be remembered as a great one. If you want something good, Hardline delivers. If you want something great, you'll have to wait.