The new STEELHEART album “Good 2B Alive” is finally upon us and it’s been a long time coming but I’m happy to say it was surely worth the wait.

“Good 2B Alive” is much closer to the sound of the 1996 STEELHEART “Wait” release but I feel it is much stronger all-around. There are a few moments when Miljenko Matijevic’s vocals bring back memories of the first two records but for the most part this is a brand new beginning for Matijevic and the STEELHEART name.

The record opens with “Samurai“ which is an all-out modern, heavy rocker. I was actually a little bit concerned when I heard this track. It’s not that it’s not a good track but it is just so far away from the “traditional” STEELHEART material that I could see anyone expecting the bands’ older sound maybe getting a bit turned off. The song is abrasive and edgy with aggressive vocals from .

“LOL” opens with some more down-tuned guitars but the vocals seem to soar more on this song than the opening track. The song sounds like something the fictional “STEEL DRAGON” band from the move “Rockstar” would have played. And for those who don’t know Matijevic supplied vocals for the movie and its soundtrack. The song, like the opening track, has a lot of attitude but is very easy to get into.

“Buried Unkind” gets a little more melodic with a nice chorus and great vocals from Matijevic. Miljenko certainly hasn’t lost a step from his early days as his voice is as strong as ever. On this record, for the most part, he actually forgoes the “vocal acrobatics” he did on previous albums with his stratospheric screams and just flat-out sings his ass off! But back to the song at hand… it is a very strong track with great arrangement and execution.

“Twisted Future” is yet slightly more melodic but still retains the heavy tone the record has brought forth to this point. This track is about as close as you might get to the sound of the “Tangled In Reins” record still it is very much in the realm of the new STEELHEART sound. The song features some nice orchestration as Matijevic certainly has pulled out the stops on this record and you’ll see that furthermore as the review goes on.

The record takes a mellower turn at this point with “I Breathe” as the song introduces some strong LED ZEPPELIN influences into the mix. The “Wait” record had those moments and this is close to that sound. It’s a moody track with another awesome vocal from Matijevic and it also features another great arrangement. It’s one of the stronger tracks on the record to this point.

“Shine A Light For Me” is a straight-ahead rocker with some nice guitar riffs and overall playing courtesy of Uros Raskovski.

The record takes possibly it’s biggest twist (and a brilliant one I might add) as the opening acoustic guitars by Matijevic set the tone for “Underground”. The vocals are passionate and set to a great arrangement. Just as you are getting lost in the song with its underlying flute and clarinet sounds you are treated to a great jazzy section with trumpet supplied by John Dirth. It’s just a great song and something I wouldn’t have ever expected to hear on a STEELHEART record but it works tremendously within the confines of the album.

The record gets back to a more straight-ahead sound with the strong “You Showed Me How 2 LV” which brings back more of those ZEPPELIN influences and features yet another strong vocal performance from Matijevic. The song has a cool acoustic break, which leads the song out. Another all-around great track!

The album ends with the title track “Good 2B Alive” and what a brilliant and epic track it is. The lyrics are great on this ZEPPELIN-influenced rocker. The song features a nice underlying string arrangement and features an outstanding vocal performance from Matijevic. If that isn’t enough the song leads into itself again! You are treated to a mellow acoustic rendition of the song in its entirety and with its dream-like approach it simply pulls at your heartstrings. The chorus of “I want to feel the love from God / Live the things I missed / I don’t care what it takes / I wanna see the morning rise / And feel the heat from the sun / I wanna be alive” is awesome as sung by Matijevic as he puts the perfect amount of emotion into his words.

Even though “Good 2B Alive” is certainly different from the first two STEELHEART records of the early 90’s you can’t help but hear the progression and maturation that Miljenko Matijevic has gone through over the years. If you’re a fan of STEELHEART listen with open ears and you’ll be treated to a surprise for sure.