Talisman
Genesis

Who are the Talisman? A group unjustly too little known, at least here in our country. I'm talking about a certain Jeff Scott Soto, a singer best known for his performances with the much-discussed guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. But the chemistry of the band is quite different compared to the Rising Force: here the aim is to offer a blend of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal in a very classic style, with very catchy melodies yet not trivial.

Jeff proves to be very comfortable here; his charismatic voice is perfect to complete the melodies of the all-rounder Marcel Jacob (bass, rhythm guitar, drums). As I have already mentioned, the line between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal is very thin on this album, but it can be said that in many of the songs one of the two genres tends to prevail over the other. So on one hand, we have tracks like "Time After Time", "Misterious" or "I'll Set Your House On Fire" that lean towards rock, while others like "Coming Home", "All Or Nothing", "U Done Me Wrong" and "Give Me A Sign" have typically metal features, from the sounds to the use of a very heavy and distorted palm muting.
It is an album that's not too demanding (to give an idea, it's perfect for the car), the songs are on average short (3-4 minutes) and pleasant, it's easy for fans of the genre to get carried away by the captivating sound of this band. The vocal part of the work is very well-crafted: not only the lead singing but also the choruses and harmonizations are very well thought out, and they excellently fill out the sound, which is already excellent. The only flaw is the predictability of the ballad "All I Want", both in terms of the lyrics (It's getting harder as the days go by, and this emptiness is killing me inside, for example) and in terms of the music, a chord progression that has been heard too many times. On the other hand, there is the excellent technique of the musicians, which can be appreciated in more than one passage.

In conclusion, certainly the best among their albums, recommended for those who seek nothing experimental but just good rock music played with heart, which can provide a pleasant and enjoyable listening experience. A must-have.