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Shark Island - Gathering Of The Faithful
Band:
Shark Island
Label:
Manifest Music/ Frontiers
Album:
Gathering Of The Faithful
Release:
2006
Genre:
Rock
Reviewer:
Rating:
4.5 stars
Site:

Almost twenty-five years ago in the early Eighties L.A. glam was making its move into the forefront of an era to take followers by storm. The Sharks were formed in 1979 with Richard Black vocalist and Spencer Sercombe guitarist, they tried their hand at bringing 80’s rock to a new level. In 1982, they released their first independent collaboration, “Alter Ego”; and by the mid-Eighties, they eventually became Shark Island and were one of the biggest drawing acts in L.A.

Putting their soul and heart into every performance Shark Island never really came to the heights of success like some major L.A. bands like Van Halen, but they did have their cult following. Many years past and today in 2006, they are back with a new release “Gathering of the Faithful.” The thirteen tracks I would say are a suburb undertaking of great melodic tunes mixed with some high voltage neo-classics.

Black has not missed a beat and his vocals are phenomenal. The good thing about the new CD is that there is no doubt Shark Island will entertain a new legion of fans appending to their already extensive cult following. The opening track is a perfect introduction to Shark Island “Blue Skies” starts things off with a Van Halen style guitar riff and a vibe of John Mellencamp vocals. From that first vocal note by Black you can feel the charisma flowing. “The Stranger” is such a killer tune you can’t deny that the time spent away from the scene had those juices flowing with many ideas. Black sounds a lot like Jack Russell of Great White on “The Stranger”. I must admit that listening to “Gathering of the Faithful” really brought me back to a time where music had a huge impact with bands like Aerosmith, Kiss, Led Zeppelin and others.

Song after song the music is remarkable…“Go West” strays in a weird direction but once the song gets rolling, it leaves you in the dust with a great chorus. This CD is not just about reaching the hard rock fans; it’s about reaching the hearts and the true music fan especially with the tune “I Had A Dream.” I enjoyed this CD tremendously and I recommend it to all rock and classic rock fans.


Band Lineup:
  • Richard Black - Vocals
  • Spencer Sercombe - Guitar
  • Christian Heilmann - Bass
  • Glen Sobel - Drums

 

Track Listing:
  1. Blue Skies
  2. Tomorrow’s Child
  3. The Stranger
  4. Go West
  5. Welcome Goodbye
  6. Life Goes On
  7. Down To the Ground
  8. Looking For the Sun
  9. Heaven
  10. I Had A Dream
  11. Will To Power
  12. Need Your Love
  13. Temptation 

 

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