Album Review — Toby Hitchcock
Toby Hitchcock — Reckoning
You may not have heard of Toby Hitchcock unless you are a Survivor/Jim Peterik fan. Hitchcock has fronted Peterik’s Pride of Lions for the past decade or so and just released his second solo record, Reckoning, a few weeks back. It might have gotten lost as Frontiers released it with a slew of other records that same day.
Hitchcock is a powerhouse vocalist. He has crazy range and at times he sounds like former Survivor vocalist Jimi Jamison. But to me his delivery sounds closer to Chris Doughtry than Jamison. Hitchcock has teamed up with Swedish keyboardist/songwriter Daniel Flores to produce a tasty bit of melodic rock.
If you ever wondered what Survivor would sound like if they were still going, I’m guessing this record would be it. It’s very keyboard forward not only in the mix but the keyboard carries the melody throughout the record. It is reminiscent of the 80s Survivor sound but with a little more teeth behind it.
I was also pleasantly surprised to only find one ballad. “Show Me How To Live” is a decent ballad but the album is just fine with only one slower song. The rest of the album is upbeat and very melodic.
If I have any issue with the record it’s that all the other songs sound pretty similar. There’s not a lot of variation in tempo or even structure of the songs. Keyboard intro, verse, big chorus, verse, big chorus, guitar solo, bridge, big chorus out. But if you like the big chorus, the toe tapping beat and the soaring melodic vocals, this album will suit you just fine.
I’m torn on how to feel about this record. I like every song, I like the sound, I like Hitchcock’s voice the more I hear it. I don’t know what it is. Maybe that it just sounds so familiar I don’t know if I should be ecstatic that someone is carrying the torch or upset that they are ripping off one of my childhood bands.
In the end, these are good songs that are delivered well and I enjoy. It’s not a perfect record and there’s not a lot of complexity here, but if I take it for what it is, I like it.
Overall — 90 out of 100
Track Listing
1.No Surrender *
2.Promise Me *
3.Show Me How To Live
4.Behind The Lies *
5.Fighting For My Life
6.Serenity
7.Queen Untouchable
8.Gift Of Flight
9.Don’t Leave
10.This Is Our World
11.Someone Like You *
*Best Songs