SEBASTIAN BACH – Child Within The Man

vote
7.5

• Band:
  SEBASTIAN BACH
• Duration: 00:47:37
• Available from: 10/05/2024
• Label:

• Reigning Phoenix Music

After much idle chatter, off-the-cuff and useless statements regarding a possible reunion with his previous band, Skid Row, Sebastian Bach finally lands on a new solo album. His first since 2014's “Give 'Em Hell”. And this is definitely the best news for all fans or simple supporters of the American singer, who at least on record shows that he hasn't lost his edge and can still offer something valid.
Without wanting to make comparisons between the contents of “Child Within The Man” and the last album by Skid Row, the excellent “The Gang's All Here”, Bach makes use of all his experience in eighties hard rock sounds, simple and without frills, tackling a series of tracks that easily recall the years of “Skid Row” and “Slave To The Grind”. “Child Within The Man” leverages a few simple concepts, relying on the best features of Bach's voice, trying to enhance them at best without going overboard. An album in safety and control, and for this very reason successful, because it gives exactly what it promises and what its fans would like to hear.
“Child Within The Man”, if we want, already expresses the singer's intentions from the title: the years of his youth are far away in time, the great success too, and yet the flame of passion for metallic hard rock, with its sticky and catchy melodies, has not gone out, effectively testifying through the songs of the collection how much Sebastian still believes in his art.
“Everybody Bleeds”, between driving compressed riffs and vicious melodies, easily brings into circulation the 'poison' dosed by Bach, who instantly demonstrates that he knows how to scream and caress, shake and tame, within a piece that has all the ingredients of the best street hard rock. Including a fiery lead guitar, perfect accompaniment for Sebastian. And it is a river of fun and adrenaline without any indecision, what follows immediately after.
“Freedom” brings out the sharp tones of the vocals in the verses Bachianwell alternated with the clean ones, which instead make the excellent chorus take off. “(Hold On) To The Dream” dusts off the romantic vein, at least initially, to then produce a midtempo dotted with dirty choirs in the old LA glamour style, with a revival effect dosed very well.
They are many small variations on the same concepts, those carried forward by Bach and a support band that, also thanks to some guests, really asserts itself, without acting as a simple background. Refining the voice even more, here we are in the very smooth “Future Of Youth”, direct and catchy, or in “Vendetta”, with darker, heavier traits and with its happy alternation of aggressive square riffs and enveloping openings.
If we can expect 'these things' from Bach, it is the brilliant attitude, the desire, the vocal and compositional brilliance that make us truly happy to listen to this historic singer again, finally recovered from that idea of ​​old glory on the sunset boulevard that he had been pretending to be for a long time. “Child Within The Man” is not an album released just to be heard again, quite the opposite. Still at the end, the devilish “FU” and the chiaroscuro of “Crucify Me” tell us of a well-focused artist, skilled in dosing different approaches and moving his voice between many different tones and emotional chords.
“Child Within The Man” is a nice answer to those who now saw Bach as a half caricature, raising his artistic fortunes very well. We arrive a little late with respect to its release, we are aware of it, we hope that many have already appreciated the contents of the album and, for those who have not done so so far, this August holiday can be a good reason to restore faith in the former Skid Row.