To be successful in the era of ‘Hair bands’ you needed three things. 1. A charismatic good looking lead singer, 2. Great catchy songs and 3. A guitar player that could shred. Checking all three… Dokken was one of those bands. In fact, it is nearly impossible to have a conversation about shredding guitar guys without mentioning George Lynch. Easily considered a top ten guitar slinger of all time, many would even have him at the top of the list.
Dokken however did not survive due to turmoil inside the band for whatever reason. As a result, George Lynch decided to pursue his own path with the creation of Lynch Mob in 1989.
Releasing Wicked Sensation in 1990, Lynch and the guys have gone through several lineup and sound changes over the years as evident with every release since then. Speaking of which, on October 20, 2023 saw the release of the latest effort by Lynch Mob called Babylon through Frontiers Srl.
To my ears this one sounds closest to the original sound of the first album. Featuring a new lineup consists of George Lynch on guitar, Vocalist Gabriel Colon, Bassist Jaron Gulino and ex-Bulletboys Drummer Jimmy D’Anda, to many, Babylon could arguably sound closest to the original sound of Wicked Sensation. A bold statement, Babylon takes you on a little ride with several mood changes from the old school groovy riff of the opening track “Erase,” all the way to the title-track “Babylon.”
Ten songs in total, this album kicks from the beginning with a sound that is truly George Lynch. This as evident from the first single from the record “Time After Time,” which sounds like it could have appeared on either of the first two Lynch Mob albums. Hands down, this might become a fan-favorite song from this entire record. Joining this, additional album highlights include the swampy grooves of “How You Fall,” “Let it Go,” and “The Synner.” Other solid rockers would have to also include “Million Miles Away,” and “I’m Ready,” which has a little Van Halen vibe to it.
The first Lynch Mob album since 2017’s The Brotherhood, this lineup has hit this one out of the park with Babylon. In a time where we are starving for good guitar driven bangers from
front to back, this one delivers. The best thing about being a George Lynch fan is he keeps extremely busy constantly putting out new music with several projects each year… and 2023 was one of the biggest with the release of The Banishment album Machine and Bone in March, Sweet & Lynch album Heart & Sacrifice in May, the Lynch/Pilson album Heavy Hitters II in August, plus his solo album Guitars At The End of the World in September.
This all stated, Lynch Mob was his first creation, and still his best in many fan’s opinion. Assembling a great, new lineup for Lynch Mob, you should catch them live if they come near you, because Cryptic Rock gives Babylon 5 out of 5 stars.
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