Toyz - Carte Blanche

Brennus
2010

This is the second album form French act Toyz. At the core of this album is an 80's style hard rock. Think Bon Jovi, Dokken and the Scorpions only with progressive bits added in. The playing is overall tight and strong on the melodies. They are smooth and obviously comfortable with this approach. The hooks are frequent and they handle them with confidence. The musicianship is high and the production brings out the best of the performances. However the biggest problem is that the progressive parts don't always blend smoothly with hard rock parts. Rather than fitting in nicely some of the pieces just sound rough and out of of place. They try hard and the skill is there, but there were several occasions where I am getting into their hard rock parts then a blast comes in from left field and my attention strays. I am all for diverse sounds and blending different styles, but it has to be done in a complimentary manner and I don't think this album does that enough to my satisfaction. Still the vocals and solid 80's hard rock foundation are appealing and the spirit of the album pulls me in on several occasions. That might be enough to warrant a listen, but Toyz definitely have some work to do.