Pink Cream 69
Headstrong

German hard rock has never been considered of "worldwide" fame, except for the very few who have been fortunate enough to experience something (Scorpions above all). From the land of krauts and bradkartoffeln, you usually expect the usual power metal soup made of castrated boy choirs with a double bass pedal in full swing, for all 4 minutes of a typical song (which is always German too).

Among the many underrated bands of the last 30 years, there are definitely Pink Cream 69, to whom I have practically dedicated their entire discography, creators of very valid works always on the edge between hard rock and heavy metal (thus a good mix), and others decidedly less so (especially the latest Ceremonial). And indeed, with the latter, I had certainly lost hope, as messing up once I might be able to forgive (see in10sity from 2007), but not a second time! So I approached the latest "Headstrong" with much timidity and, obviously, skepticism.

Well, it's incredible, but they've returned in great shape! David Readman is always a guarantee on the microphone, Dennis Ward makes his bass throb like never before and the new addition on drums (Chris Schmidt) does a really great job, not to forget the two axes Alfred Koffler and Uwe Reitenauer. 10 songs finally equipped, after so long, with songwriting that is not original, but made of quality songs, see the maiden-esque opener "We Bow To None", the almost thrash (at least in the beginning, it even reminded me of Overkill!) "Path Of Destiny", not to mention the dreamy and also best song of the album, which is "The Other Man". Clearly, there are also more hard-oriented and paced episodes, like the single "Walls Come Down", "Bloodsucker", and "No More Fear"; others more melodic, reminiscent of their period with Massacre Records ("Sonic Dynamite" and "Endangered"), like "Man Of Sorrow" and "Vagrant Of The Night", good but less exciting than the others.

The album itself is really excellent, but far from being defined as a masterpiece, as there are one or two missteps, certainly to a lesser extent compared to the previous two, terrible albums. So if you want a well-balanced album between heavy metal and hard rock (even recent), this could be a great opportunity to get to know them. And you won't be forced to eat wurst, krauts and drink beer at the Oktoberfest!