For ‘That Rock Guy’ read Adam Barclay, who has been making a reputation for himself as one of the hardest working musicians around, with more than a thousand gigs played in the last three years alone. Originally from Adelaide he moved his base to Germany in 2001 and since then has been a guitarist for hire, for various bands, and this is his debut. I have no idea who all the musicians are on the album, although he does mention a few on his website, as they aren’t listed in the press releases, but, I presume that he provides both vocals and guitars, and while his voice is pretty good, there is no doubt where his talent really lies.
What we have here is a melodic rock album that is quite a bit heavier from what I remember normally coming out on AOR Heaven, and while there are tinges of Nickelback (apparently, the world’s favourite band to hate) and Bon Jovi, we shouldn’t hold that against him as he is mixing melodic hard rock sensibilities with some strong, albeit gruff and raw, vocals and some great guitar. That Rock Guy can really play, and knows what makes a great song, so what we have here is anthem following classic, and with the right promotion and breaks he is not going to find himself working as a hired gun for much longer. For anyone into the more melodic side of hard rock, especially classic Bon Jovi, then there is a great deal on here to enjoy. If you are intrigued then pop over to his website (https://www.thatrockguy.com) as it is possible to download his EP ‘Live In Osaka’ free of charge, so why not give it a try?
