VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS / st (2014)

Adrian Vandenberg, the guitarist of Whitesnake, is back in business with a new band and a new album. Vandenberg's Moonkings is called the guitarist's new project, and believe me, this will make every single fan of the earlier Whitesnake's works happy! The major thing here is that Adrian with this new release stays loyal to his roots and that means old-fashion blues hard rock stuff with some really cool guitar work and a bunch of some serious ass-kickin' tracks.

For Vandenberg's Moonkings, he hired a very talented guy Jan Hoving, for the vocal duties, and this guy is delivering some really excellent vocal performances. In my humble opinion, Hoving is somewhere between David Coverdale and Keith St. John of Burning Rain! He has a deep and powerful vocal range and fits perfectly with the band's sound! The rhythm section is tight and Adrian Vandenberg's riffs and solos are simply.....Vandenberg!

"Lust And Lies" the opening tune seems to be the perfect opener and the perfect appetizer of what's to follow here! A 'dirty' and classic rock sound in this excellent Whitesnake-esque track! The vocals, the guitar work, the rhythm, the chorus....everything here is PERFECT! Great stuff! "Close To You" features a groovier vibe while "Breathing" left me....breathless!!! This is one of the best tunes that I've heard this year! A mid-tempo rocker with an explosive chorus to whisper for days and Hoving's amazing vocal performances! "Line Of Fire" is another cool 70's influenced rocker and "One Step Behind" is a great ballad!! The album closes with the Whitesnake cover of "Sailing Ships" with a new arrangement and ,yes, we have here David Coverdale on lead vocals!!

This is a classic hard rock album all the way! The whole album 'smells' 70's and 80's from miles away! Adrian Vandenberg achieves to create a strong blues hard rock album with some great songs in it and the sure thing is that 'VANDENBERG'S MOONKINGS' will put a big smile upon the face of each and every single fan of this scene and of course in every Whitesnake fan out there!
Heavy Paradise's Rating : 8,5/10

Track Listing :
01 - Lust And Lies
02 - Close To You
03 - Good Thing
04 - Breathing
05 - Steal Away
06 - Line Of Fire
07 - Out Of Reach
08 - Feel It
09 - Leave This Town
10 - One Step Behind
11 - Leeches
12 - Nothing Touches
13 - Sailing Ships (feat. David Coverdale)