WILL WALLNER & VIVIEN VAIN - ST (2012)

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Will Wallner and Vivien Vain met after arriving in America from Europe. Discovering they shared similar musical tastes they began to write together.
After a year performing around L.A. they ran into legendary drummers Vinny Appice (Black Sabbath/DIO) & Carmen Appice (King Cobra) who, after hearing the Wallner And Vain demo, agreed to perform drums on their self titled debut album.

The project has since evolved to feature several other high calibrer guests such as Brian Tichy, Rudy Sarzo, Tony Franklin, Jimmy Bain, Derek Sherinian and Tony Carey with Wallner and Vain performing all guitars and vocals respectively.
So with such a serious amount of firepower you would expect this material to have the kick of a ten ton mule and you would be right.
The end result is a remarkable melodic hard rock CD, much, much better than many albums released recently by 'big names'.

Highlights include “Dream Stealer”, with its majestic beginning with Vinny using some alternative percussion. The guitar work by Will Wallner is a good example of the technical but soulful playing you are going to hear through all songs. We have a well-placed pace change at 1:30 that leads to some huge vocals by Vivian Vain. The guitar work blends very well with the drums and keyboards in a jamming feel.
“Miles Ahead” once again has Vinny on drums and he and Rudy are showing off in the rhythm work. This song is completely built around the vocals of Vivian and her deeper rockin' bluesy tone, taking you back to the days of metal Queens Lita Ford and Lee Aaron, not as much the sound, as the attitude Vivan’s voice portrays.
“Indestructible” has Will steering the ship on guitar and we hear Carmine on drums creating a great vibe in the background. The rhythm becomes seriously contagious and Will’s solo work over top of it is incredible.
“Soul Monster” has a great hard rock hook and displays the voice of Will Warner along with his excellent guitar work. The chorus is very catchy and one of my favorites on the album, but I find it breaks the continuity with Will singing. I would love to hear this song with Vivian at the mic.


Will Wallner And Vivien Vain, with the help of such a top notch backing band, have put together a cracking thirty eight minute dose of top notch Melodic Hard Rock.
Every track on here is truly solid and quite frankly, short as it may seem, the running time is just perfect.
Wallner delivers some truly excellent riffs & solos with a style like a cross between Randy Rhoads & Jake E. Lee. Some have complained about the vocals but to be honest Vain keeps it simple, giving a straight down the line, and her powerful pipes are a very good match for Wallner six-string work, suiting this stuff to a tee.
If you are a fan of classy '80s melodic hard rock, you ought to check out this CD. Don't miss it, you won’t be disappointed.


01 - The Dream
02 - Dreamstealer
03 - Streets of Rage
04 - Fourteen Twenty Eight
05 - All That I Want
06 - Miles Ahead
07 - Soul Monster
08 - Rising
09 - Indestructible


Vivien Vain – Vocals
Will Wallner – Guitar

Guest Musicians:
Tony Carey – Keys on Tracks 1, 2, 8, 9
Jimmy Bain – Bass on Track 2
Vinny Appice – Drums on Tracks 2, 3, 4, 6
Carmine Appice – Drums on Tracks 3, 5, 9
Tony Franklin – Bass on Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9
Rudy Sarzo – Bass on Tracks 4, 6
Brian Tichy – Drums on Track 7
Derek Sherinian – Keys on Track 7



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