It feels just like yesterday I reviewed the new David Reece album. Turns out it’s been roughly a month and a half, but the point is that it wasn’t too long ago. And yet the veteran singer has found himself on this site one more time before the year closes, only this time as the frontman of German supergroup, Wicked Sensation. More than just a Lynch Mob song, Wicked Sensation has been together in some form or another for the better part of my lifetime. Their latest album, Outbreak, is their first in 7 years, and their second with Reece at the helm.
In case you’re not aware of Wicked Sensation, their approach is similar to that of fellow countrymen Jaded Heart and Bonfire, the latter of which Reece also sang for. There’s some AOR, some hard rock, and some heavy metal, all being held together by old school melodies and prime musicianship. It’s this type of music that I feel Reece is most at home singing. Yes, he can hit it out of the ballpark in the pure metal realm, as evidenced by his last album that ranged from Judas Priest inspired traditionalism to Lamb of God driven groove. However, it’s on an album like this where he’s really in his zone.
Outbreak draws heavily from the realm of Deep Purple and Rainbow. It’s soulful and melodic, but with powerful, dramatic Blackmore-esque riffs. This approach can be heard on the opening tracks, “Starbreaker” and “Child of Sorrow”. As the album progresses, the band dabbles in big, anthemic, radio friendly arena metal (see “Light in the Dark” and “Satisfy Temptation”) reminiscent of Blue Murder’s legendary debut. Mind you, I’m not just saying this because I listened to it yesterday. Some of these riffs and hooks display a serious shade of Sykes.
Speaking of Sykes, get a load of the Whitesnake flavored groove-fests that are “Jaded Lady” and “Step into the Light”. Reece does his best David Coverdale impersonation on this pair of raging rock n’ rollers. As for the rest of Outbreak, it can best be described has melodic metal, heavy AOR, or as they say in Europe, “hard and heavy”. “Breaking Away” is a blatantly commercial 80s throwback, although there’s nothing wrong with some good ol’ cheesy fun. Meanwhile, “Face Reality” and “Hide Away” have the song structures of Foreigner, but are propelled by beefy riffs, resulting in a melodic metal onslaught. Contradictory as that may sound, it holds true.
I can’t think of a better way to end 2021 than with an album that sounds like it could’ve come out 35 years earlier. Outbreak is indeed that album. There’s enough hooks, melodies, and lighthearted rocking on here to last me through the new year! Let’s just hope it’s not another 7 years until we hear again from Wicked Sensation. They’re just too sensational to be ignored.
7 out of 10
Label: Rock of Angels Records
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
For fans of: Rainbow, Whitesnake, Blue Murder