CANNON - Burning Love (2012)

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Founded in the same era when the new wave of Geman hard rock assaulted the scene with Scorpions, Bonfire or Accept, CANNON was one of the good bands of the pack but with little luck.
With highs & lows, Cannon has been around since 1986, and they have just released their new studio album called "Burning Love".

After their 1988 debut, the promise of a second album never materialized, including a major label shutting-down contract to even having their studio tapes stolen for a '91 album release.
The band eventually dissovled in the mid-nineties, but in 2003 the original lineup reformed, they re-released their past recordings and gave the masses all new recordings in 2005 (Back in Business) and in 2008 (Metal Style).
"Burning Love" is the next step in the band's edgy heavy-rock perseverance.

Cannon's style is typically German hard 'n heavy, delivering strong riffage and anthemic choruses.
A subdued and atmospheric instrumental, “Guardian Pipes”, complete with bagpipes and church bells, opens the album. Then “Guardian of the Night” tears everything asunder, and you'll hear a maniacal guitarist by the name of Oliver Krueger set things aflame.
Title track “Burning Love” is another frenetic song, a breakneck composition that still owns a massively melodic chorus. Krueger's riffing is expert, and you'll go back and forth on if you like his solos, leads or riffs more.
They change the tempo in the middle of the CD. “Goodbye” is a complete different beast, especially after listening to the bruising tracks like “Hold Me, Love Me”. This song is a ballad with lovely keyboards, smooth acoustic guitar and a simple yet haunting chorus. A really good Euro power ballad.

But this is the only slow moment on the disc, after that they race into another anthem: “Life”, a song that musically may remind you of Pretty Maids older compositions, with its galloping rhythms and melodic leads.
The kick ass instrumental “Bachrock” is one of the more amusing moments on the release. It's brief, clocking in at 1:10, and allows Krueger to play what can only be described as Neoclassical Metal, something Yngwie Malmsteen brought to the forefront and basically named.
“Holy Devil” returns to the hard 'n heavy reminding you '80s Accept but more melodic, while in “Dreamer” as on many moments on the album Cannon can bring a nice hard rock groove when necessary.


Cannon have been in the game since the eighties and like the resurgent Hard Rock movement, they show no signs of slowing down.
With 14 overall songs, and nary one you'd ever skip, "Burning Love" is a competent and enjoyable melodic Euro hard 'n heavy album in the old fashioned style, in the vein of the very early Pretty Maids, Victory, Sinner, Bonfire and alikes, with an updated sound and well produced.
Rocks Good.


01. Guardian Pipes
02. Guardian Of The Night
03. Burning Love
04. Hold Me, Love Me
05. Heads Up With The Devil
06. Goodbye
07. Life
08. Cold Morning
09. Bachrock
10. Holy Devil
11. Dreamer
12. Run For Your Life
13. A Light In The Dark
14. One World


Mat Rein Jaehnke - Vocals
Steve Carrington - Bass, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Oliver Krueger - Guitars
Walter Mueller - Drums



Pre-Order:
www.nuclearblast.de/en/products/tontraeger/cd/cd/cannon-burning-love.html