If you enjoy hard rocking riffs and are a fan of Whitesnake, Mötley Crüe, Europe, Tyketto or many of the other great bands that really came to prominence during the 1980s, the odds are pretty high you will enjoy the latest album Reverence from US hard rockers SteelCity.
SteelCity was originally a solo project for the guitarist and founding member Mike Floros, which then evolved into the current five-piece line up. The name SteelCity comes from the blue collar Mid-Western town of Youngstown in Ohio and some of the band’s influences include Europe, Winger and KISS. SteelCity’s debut album Fortress was released in 2018, followed by the second album Mach II in 2019 and like the earlier albums, Reverence is an old-school rocking treat of an album from start to finish, showcasing some of the best bits of the eighties hard rock scene.
Taking a peek at some of the highlights from the album, I Ain’t Dreamin’ Bout You is a decent opener to the album and the next track, Hammer’s Fallin’ with its Whitesnake overtones continues to set the tone for the rest of what is to come. Later tracks continue the hard rocking with themes of love, or in some cases, lust. The latest track to be released from the new album is Walk Away, which you can listen to and view the official visualiser for it here:
The aggressive opener of B.A.N.K. which then softens out to a well-rounded track certainly feels like one of the best on the album. Probably to apply the term “cock rock” to the album would be a step too far nowadays; especially with its misogynistic overtones, however this album certainly shares some of the characteristics that made that genre of rock so popular back then – a popularity which to some extent remains today.
Midnight Dancer is another fast paced riffy track and the next Broken is a hard-rocking gem from start to finish. Opening with the sound of a lone bell – there is some anticipation of what the final track The Journey will bring, yet this country rocking tale of leaving behind small town life actually feels like the slowest paced, yet oddly personal, track of the whole album.
The lyrics across the album are easy listening and along with short and punchy choruses – nothing too complicated that leaves you needing to think about what it all means long after the album has finished. Floros on guitar is well supported by Jason Cornwell on bass and Tony Stahl on keyboards. Completing the line-up of SteelCity is Roy Cathay with his well-rounded vocals which may be recognised by some as fronting the late eighties/early nineties hard rock band Cold Sweat and drummer Anthony White (also a former member of Cold Sweat) adds strong rhythm across the tracks. All of this combines to mean that overall, Reverence with its unashamedly eighties influence is well worth a listen.
“…. an old-school rocking treat of an album from start to finish that showcases some of the best bits of the eighties hard rock scene.”
Reverence is released on the 20th September 2024 and is available to stream/download here through the usual platforms or can be purchased on CD from the Frontiers shop .
Track list:
- I Ain’t Dreamin’ Bout You
- Hammer’s Fallin’
- No Angel
- Dizzy
- Walk Away
- B.A.N.K.
- Midnight Dancer
- Broken
- Losing Control
- Blinded
- The Journey
SteelCity line-up:
- Roy Cathey – Lead Vocals
- Jason Cornwell – Bass
- Anthony White – Drums
- Tony Stahl – Keys
- Mike Floros – Guitars
You can find out more about SteelCity from Facebook , Instagram and X .
Special thanks to Frontiers Music Srl.
