As one of the most renowned acts of the 1980s, Whitesnake took Rock to another level, setting the bar for classy Blues based Hard Rock with an irresistible amount of substance. Whether you grew up rocking out to Hard Rock and Glam Metal of the 1980s or not, it is impossible to not know the name Whitesnake. Darlings of MTV, this platinum selling act embodied what it was to be a rockstar in their generation in memorable music videos for smash songs that can still be found in regular rotation on Classic Rock radio in 2019.
Celebrating a noteworthy career spanning four plus decades, Whitesnake are still rolling as they get set to release their thirteenth studio album, Flesh & Blood, on Friday, May 10th, 2019 via Frontiers Music s.r.l. Led by the undeniable voice of Frontman David Coverdale, Whitesnake has always been bonded by a killer line-up of only the best musicians. That said, the core of Whitesnake is currently made up of Guitarist Reb Beach of Winger who joined Whitesnake in 2002, Guitarist Joel Hoekstra, Bassist Michael Devin, Drummer Tommy Aldridge, and Italian Keyboardist Michele Luppi.
If there is one thing Whitesnake has always been known for, it is their incredible ability to hone distinctive hooks that pull you in and make you want more. Having said that, Whitesnake’s new endeavor, Flesh & Blood, is by far no exception. On Flesh & Blood, Whitesnake offer up thirteen bountiful new tracks which follow up their last LP of new material, the acclaimed 2011 release, Forevermore, and 2015’s The Purple Album, which saw Whitesnake remake Deep Purple classics from the Coverdale era.
Diving right in, let us dim the lights and crack open a cold one while taking in Whitesnake’s Flesh & Blood. Picking up right where they left off on the two previously aforementioned albums, Whitesnake kick off Flesh & Blood via “Good To See You Again” by way of straightforward, bluesy Hard Rock that never gets old. Sticking with the rockers, Flesh & Blood gifts a pleasing array of heavy hitters exemplified by “Shut Up & Kiss Me” made up of great riffs and an all out rock’n agenda led by big time backing vocals. Right after that, Whitesnake turn it up even louder as “Hey You (You Make Me Rock)” is a steady rocker with slow wailing guitars giving the song huge potential in a live setting. On the title cut, “Flesh & Blood” has Whitesnake not slowing down, nor should they, as the band delivers more hard-hitting Rock on “Get Up,” “Well I Never,” the mystifying “Sands Of Time,” and the signature Whitesnake innuendo “Trouble Is Your Middle Name.”
Switching gears, there is perhaps no band on Earth that personifies love through their ballads like the bad boys of Whitesnake and no one can portray the raw emotion as profoundly as Coverdale. That said, Flesh & Blood certainly dishes out a number of fine ballads to tug the heartstrings of Whitesnake fans around the world. In a dazzling uptempo ballad, the track “Gonna Be Alright” will keep the listener’s attention with ease while “Always & Forever” injects stirring melodies of love straight to the heart. Next, “When I Think Of You (Color Me Blue)” gives away more great uptempo balladry for fans to enjoy. As the first full on ballad to appear on Flesh & Blood, “Heart Of Stone” should without a doubt satisfy the listener’s desire for a classic Whitesnake ballad. Lastly, anyone who was a fan of Whitesnake’s 2011 track “Forevermore” will love “After All” and the track’s classic acoustic texture alongside tender lyrics about loving one person unconditionally.
All this said, Flesh & Blood is a tempting collection of kick’n rockers and stimulating ballads powered by Coverdale’s cool and direct vocals joining forces with electrifying guitar, keyboard, and drum melodies. From start to finish, Flesh & Blood is yet another killer offering by Whitesnake that will make fans want to go out and start a band of their own. For these reasons, Cryptic Rock awards Flesh & Blood 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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This is fabulous! Got to hear them live in Florida and it was absolutely brilliant.