Album number three for John Diva & The Rockets of Love, only two years after the “American Amadeus”. The appearance and music of this German band are reminiscent of the 80s, with many influences from popular US and UK bands of that time, such as Poison, Ratt, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and so on. Additionally, Steel Panther appears to have a significant impact on them, although these guys do not use explicit language in their songs.
The band had the misfortune of releasing one album just before the Covid era and another during the Covid mania, thus they were not noticed by a wider public. Let’s hope their new release gives them a better chance.
Hard rock, hair metal, glam metal, pop metal, pop-rock, rock & roll, melodic rock and AOR… an interesting music amalgam that has 80s roots and nice melodies. John Diva delivers the goods, while the other guys follow in the same tempo. Their performances are great at large. The production is fresh, clean and dynamic. Their sound is not retro at any point, and that’s a good thing.
Out of the 12 songs my personal favorites are “The Big Easy”, “God Made Radio”, “Runway Train”, “Believe”, “Back in the Days”, “Hit and Run” (a wonderful ballad), “Boys Don’t Play with Dolls” (if Poison & Steel Panther had a filthy babe), “The Limit is the Sky”, and “Wild at Heart”.
All in all, “The Big Easy” is a very enjoyable album that captures the essence of 80s hard rock music, and keeps the listener engaged from start to finish. It’s obvious that John Diva & The Rockets of Love are having a super time here, and their enthusiasm is infectious. So, if you fancy melodic hard rock with 80s elements, then you really need to check this out.
