Sahara Steel
"S/T"
(Perris Records) 

Sahara Steel are a hard rocking band who play 80's style melodic metal. And I mean VERY 80's! It's hard to believe these guys are a new band because their music is a total throwback to the decade of decadence! We're talking a band totally stuck in an 80's time warp! Not a hint of the 90's or "nu millennium" styles in sight! And to quote DDP again, "That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing!" Correction, that's a GREAT thing! Sahara Steel is an awesome band, and they've made a killer debut album here! Every song rocks out in a BIG way! The band is very talented, and influenced by bands like Dokken, the Scorpions, Firehouse, and Giuffria. Singer Jack Klunder sounds a bit like Don Dokken or Bill Leverity, and guitarist Patrick Shepard is very heavily influenced by George Lynch. Boy, can Pat tear up the fret board! The sound is crisp and clear, kick ass hard rock that at the same time is smooth as silk! The perfect mix of "silk and steel!" If these guys had come along over a decade ago they would have been huge! Well, maybe they can help bring back this classic style of rock and roll. Having been forced to endure grunge, alternative, "nu metal", ad nauseam that passes for rock, for the past ten years, Sahara Steel sure is a breath of fresh air! I hope these guys make it! As I said, all ten songs on the album are great, but some I really liked are "Fatal Heartbreaker", "Back In Trouble" (the first two songs on the album), "Open Fire", "Man On The Run", and "Overexposure". There are also a couple of raunchy, fun "cock rockers"; "Booze, Tattoos, and Rock And Roll" and "Good Girl Gone Bad". We also have the mandatory ballad, "Heart Of Fire", which is actually a very pretty tune, played on acoustic guitar, that reminded me of the Firehouse classics, "Love Of A Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes". Whatta band! The world sure could use more bands like this now! So what if the 80's are over? Doesn't mean the music has to be! I highly recommend this album to all fans of 80's style rock/metal, and anyone who wants to see how rock and roll is REALLY played! All I can say is, watch out Limp Bizkit and company, Sahara Steel is coming to kick your ass!

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