Pink Cream 69 - Ceremonial 2013

Although we have the last Pink Cream 69 album say about six years ago, but actually we got their ‘variant’ along this years. Those side projects by Dennis Ward, also Uwe and Kosta, in Unisonic, Place Vendome, Sunstorm and others are considerable Pink Cream’s variations for its AoR and hard rock style in those bands. Definitely this lead us to expect something special from Dennis for his home band. The second busiest guys in the band is lead singer David Readman. He was neo classical metal singer in Adagio, but his current project was in Voodoo Circle. Ceremonials, as stated by Dennis himself, is a celebration of many styles that each band experiences over that hiatus years. This is also the first album to feature new member Chris Schmidt replacing Kosta Zafiriou. Chris, also worked together in Joe Lynn Turner’s Emotional Fire album from Sunstorm. Ceremonial still play around the AOR sounds with trademark power choruses in the same vibes as their previous works displayed.

After the opening track Land of Confusion which ethnical ceremonial rhythm composition, we got Wasted Years and Special, two truly AOR spirit tracks. Wasted Years is a crispy guitar riff with dictating bass line , a 1/16 hihat dancing to support this catchy tune. Special gone a little minor feel melodic intro, again replied by groovy bass line by Dennis. Jump to the middle of album we got hard rocker, Welcome to the Jungle riff in Big Machine. I Come to Rock is naturally our next point of interest based on the title alone. The variety of modern rock tunes is display in The Tide, a normal and standard AOR formula that can recycled thousand times by PC69 to make us feeling ‘80s. They can go as ‘alternative’ as in Right From Wrong. They also inserted Passage Of Time a ballad with a nice guitar work as accompanying.

We still got the Pink Cream 69 that goose bumps us with their melanchony AOR stuff. Plus a half of creative improvisation on rather modern stuff as well. The quintet need no praising of their musical skills. Many notes are exactly executed as demand by the song’s composition, thus making the melody line become more sweet, more vintages. Dennis Ward works in Pink Cream didn’t affected by his busy outside jobs. Instead we can be guaranteed he still got enough melody for his own kitchen. Pleasing album with spiritual AOR inside, especially Wasted Years and Special in the beginning of the album. Trivially, ex PC69 singer Andi Derris also released his outcome via Helloween's Straight Out of Hell just a week prior.

Metal Harem class: ******** eight stars out of ten

Pink Cream 69 – Ceremonial 2013
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1. Land Of Confusion (4:41)
2. Wasted Years (3:56)
3. Special (4:03)
4. Find Your Soul (3:43)
5. The Tide (4:15)
6. Big Machine (4:02)
7. Let The Thunder Roll (3:40)
8. Right From Wrong (3:35)
9. Passage Of Time (4:29)
10. I Came To Rock (4:32)
11. King For One Day (4:08)
12. Superman (4:35)

David Readman - Vocals
Alfred Koffler - Guitars
Uwe Reitenauer - Guitars
Dennis Ward - Bass
Chris Schmidt - Drums