Having shown a pretty strong dislike for the Benedictum albums and an even stronger dislike for frontwoman Veronica Freeman’s scream powered vocals, I had absolutely zero interest in The V – Ms Freeman’s debut solo outing. Expectations dare I say, were even lower.
So imagine my surprise to find a rather enjoyable, beautifully sung melodic hard rock (and slightly metal) album right here.
After checking I was playing the right CD, I sat back and took in the “melodic” side of Veronica’s persona and really enjoyed it.
Now or Never features a huge array of special guests, including Pete Wells, Aric Avina and Rikard Stjernquist of Benedictum, Michael Sweet (Stryper), Garry Bordonaro (The Rods), Jeff Pilson (Dokken, Foreigner), Mike Lepond (Symphony X), Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Jerry Dixon (Warrant) and more.
A strong musical performance and a solid production are immediately noticeable, but what makes it most enjoyable are the lead vocals.
Naturally there are some big metal moments, where the aggression and power are front and center (Again, Ready To Run, King For A Day – featuring Tony Martin on vocals), but the beauty of this album is the range displayed.
There’s groove (Now Or Never, Kiss My Lips), punky hard rock (Rollercoaster), melodic hard rock (L.O.V.E, Line In The Sand, Love Should Be To Blame) and even a track that could be described as AOR (Starshine).
This won’t have me looking forward to a new Benedictum album, but I will certainly hope to see a sequel to The V at some point in the future and commend Veronica Freeman for trying something a little different and pulling it off successfully.
While the continuing change in musicians from track to track do cause some variations in sound and production throughout the album, the songs (mostly written by Freeman and Wells, but including tracks from Nigel Bailey, Vince O’Regan and two from Michael Sweet) and the vocals are the glue that holds this together.
THE V "Now or Never" release date is July 3rd in Europe and July 10th in North America.
Featuring Veronica Freeman of BENEDICTUM on vocals along with Pete Wells, Aric Avina and Rikard Stjernquist of BENEDICTUM, Michael Sweet (STRYPER), Garry Bordonaro (THE RODS), Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER), Mike Lepond (SYMPHONY X), Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH), Leather Leone (CHASTAIN), Jerry Dixon (WARRANT), Jimmy Durkin (DARK ANGEL), Mick Tucker (TANK), Jordan Ziff (AGE OF EVIL), Derek Kerswill (UNEARTH, KINGDOM OF SORROW), Peter Tentindo (VENUS MARS PROJECT), John Herrera, Ryan Greene, Kenny Lewis, Meliesa McDonell, Michael Harris, Mel Brown and John O'Boyle.
Frontiers Music Srl announces the release of Veronica Freeman’s solo project THE V debut album entitled "Now or Never" on July 3rdin Europe and July 10thin North America.
Veronica “The V” Freeman is the iconic singer of the Heavy Metal heavyweights Benedictum and THE V marks a major step out of her comfort zone, since it delves into a definite melodic Hard Rock vibe.
An impressive array of talent has stepped up to assist THE V in creating her solo project on many levels. The list includes Pete Wells, Aric Avina and Rikard Stjernquist of BENEDICTUM, Michael Sweet (STRYPER), Garry Bordonaro (THE RODS), Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER), Mike Lepond (SYMPHONY X), Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH), Leather Leone (CHASTAIN), Jerry Dixon (WARRANT), Jimmy Durkin (DARK ANGEL), Mick Tucker (TANK), Jordan Ziff (AGE OF EVIL), Derek Kerswill (UNEARTH, KINGDOM OF SORROW), Peter Tentindo (VENUS MARS PROJECT), John Herrera, Ryan Greene, Kenny Lewis, Meliesa McDonell, Michael Harris , Mel Brown and John O’Boyle.
Veronica comments: "I had a lot of input and encouragement from Frontiers to try and stretch myself with different musical styles and approaches. It was great to be able to work with Pete Wells writing some of these songs too. So, it was a no-brainer to accept their proposal for a solo album. I am a bit nervous and beyond excited!"
Be prepared! If you thought Veronica was just a Heavy Metal Amazon, you’re going to be proven dead wrong! This is a massive Melodic Hard Rock record with some great lead vocals which show a lot of the original influences that brought “THE V” to be one of the most well know and recognized voices in the current Metal scene!
Enjoy an album trailer:
“Now or Never” tracklisting: Again; Now Or Never; Roller Coaster; L.O.V.E; Line In The Sand; Love Should Be To Blame; Kiss My Lips; Spellbound; Starshine; Below Zero; Ready To Run; King For a Day.
THE V
Veronica Freeman – Lead vocals
Leather Leone – Duet vocals “Kiss my Lips”
Tony Martin - Duet vocals “King for a Day”
Meliesa McDonell - additional vocals “Star Shine” & Acoustic guitars
Derek Kerswill - drums
Jeff Pilson, Mel Brown, Garry Bordonaro, Aric Avina, John O’Boyle & Mike Lepond - Bass
Pete Wells, Michael Sweet ,Peter Tentindo, Jimmy Durkin, Mick Tucker, Jordan Ziff, Michael Harris – Guitars
Produced by John Herrera
except for:
King for a Day (produced by Kenny Lewis)
Love Should be to Blame & Again (produced by Michael Sweet)
