Tyketto-Dig in deep

Frontiers
2012

I downloaded this one like a week ago and there it sat on my computer staring at me untouched. The fear of another older band doing a comeback made me hesitate on this one. This is the first new album in 18 years from the original lineup. While I liked Tyketto's early albums and felt they suffered from coming out in a crowded scene I couldn't help but have visions of this being a cash-in comeback attempt that left me hollow. I couldn't have been more wrong. There's always one or two hard rock bands who come back with an impressive album in recent years. Thinking of the last few years Ratt, King Kobra, Treat and Jeff Scott Soto all come to mind right away as bands that fall in that category. Well add Tyketto to that list. This album is full of top notch melodic hard rock/AOR. In addition to singing for Tyketto Danny Vaughn has sang for Waysted, Riot and numerous other projects over the years. He also been one of the most consistent and perhaps one of the most overlooked vocalists in hard rock over the years. As usual he is spot on here. Tracks like "Monday" and "Here's hoping it hurts" are just a couple examples of how he manages to hit on every word. The music is tight in every department. The sound overall certainly has the feel of their albums, but there is enough of a modern feel mixed in that doesn't sound totally dated. I kept waiting for a clunker/filler track to pop up. I figured they can't keep pulling off good melodic rock tracks off for this whole album, but again they proved me wrong. I was hoping for additional rocker or two like "The fight left in me" or "Dig in deep" to change the pace a little and that may have been nice, but when every song here is good I can't argue that point too much. I don't how much planning went into this album, but the results are spectacular. The best hard rock album I have heard so far this year.