Silent Rage - Shattered Hearts (1987)

This is about as Whitesnake inspired as it gets. Silent Rage live up to their muscular image, right from Timmy Reilly's Coverdale-esque tones to those sultry guitars and synths. That's not to say this ins't a qaulity record, 'Shattered Hearts' is beefy in its complexion, and whilst not heavyweight metal, the lush production gives it a dense feel. It's archetype late '80s metal that one would find on late night rock radio, but I'm find with that, finding this sort of subtle metal cosy. Reilly has a wolfen approach as he drifts through a number of rather stereotypical anthems, but all of the cuts on offer have the ability to get their teeth into the ears of the listener. The title track swaggers with arogance as if the band have released countless big hits, whilst the more up-tempo 'Wanting You' contains an absolutely killer riff that rolls behind the vocals like a Jimmy Page lick. The chorus is catchy as hell, Reilly is clearly a talented musician as well as vocalist. The pop-infused 'She Can Shake It' flows like a dream stream, it's upbeat, kooky and about as fullsome hair metal gets. I can't dimiss something when clearly its intention is to rock you like a hurricane. 'Shattered...' may sound like countless other bands but there IS a distinctive quality in those songs, and due to the fact i play this a lot means Silent Rage, for all of their pomp, are pretty decent.Don't cower from the synths, let them embrace you... 7.5/10