As you may have heard by now, the debut FIRST SIGNAL album signifies the return of legendary HAREM SCAREM vocalist Harry Hess. The band, and more significantly Hess’s voice, has been sorely missed since they called it a day but this release is said to appease former fans of the band. FIRST SIGNAL is another project put together by leading melodic rock label Frontiers Records, so let’s see if this signal comes through loud and clear for melodic rock lovers.

Leading off the record is first single and video “This City”. The song immediately reminds you of the classic HAREM SCAREM sound. I know maybe one shouldn’t be comparing it so much to Hess’s former outfit but it’s so darn hard when you hear that voice. The song is an extremely melodic rock track with a chorus you will be singing along too with just one listen as it’s that infectious and overall is a great leadoff track to reintroduce Hess to the scene.

The keys of Mr. Eric Ragno open “When You Believe” before the vocals come in. The song is ultra-melodic and sounds like a more up-to-date version of something off the debut HAREM SCAREM record mixed with later day solo offerings from the one and only Jeff Scott Soto, and even the mighty JOURNEY could included in the mix. Ragno even does his best Jonathan Cain impression on this one! The layered backing vocals are done to perfection too and the track is true winner.

“Part of Me” starts to veer from the HAREM SCAREM sound just a bit as the arrangement is a bit more nondescript. Now when I say that I don’t mean it as a bad thing but it’s not as “in your face” HAREM-sounding as the first two numbers. It is still a nice rocker with cool guitar riff running through it.

Eric Ragno’s keyboards seem a bit more prevalent on this record than some he’s done in the past and that is a good thing as he always seems come up with classy and song-appropriate fills. “Crazy” is a good example of that as this power ballad showcases Hess’s great vocals over the top of some nice piano sounds by Ragno.

The somewhat groovy feel of “Goodbye To The Goodtime” matches up perfectly with catchy and melodic chorus. This song is a favorite of mine for its attitude and overall general feel. It has bit of EXTREME, a bit of HAREM SCAREM, and even a bit of a TYKETTO vibe. It’s just a good dose of those bands and of that classic 80’s hard rock attitude all rolled into one cool tune. Great song!

The title track “First Signal” is another great 80’s melodic hard-rocker accentuated with some nice keyboard fills from Ragno. After the beginning of the album, which had a heavy dose of HAREM SCAREM influence, it seems to have developed more of its own identity. The music is still as immediate and melodic as HAREM’s music ever was but just sounds different in a way.

“Feels Like Love This Time” has something of an early BON JOVI power ballad feel to it while the following track “Into The Night” prances along into melodic bliss. The songwriting is solid throughout the record and talk about melodic bliss… just check out “Yesterday’s Rain”. The song is another big-time favorite off the record. There are more hooks than a butcher shop on this one! All right that was a pretty weak attempt at being witty but this song could be the very definition of melodic rock!

Closing out the album is “Naked Desire” and it brings back more of the HAREM SCAREM sound heard earlier in the record. This could almost have been something heard on the “Mood Swings” album.

In closing, FIRST SIGNAL is a well-constructed and melodic-as-hell album that welcomes Harry Hess and melodic rock fans with open arms. The execution and musicianship, as well as the production, is just about flawless. This is one to surely add to the collection if you are a melodic rock/AOR fan. And by the way, welcome back Mr. Hess!