Year : 2021 (AOR Heaven Classix Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Australia
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 133 mb
Bio:
Devils In Heaven started out as a school covers band in Launceston, Tasmania during the mid-80s. After a couple of years of gigging around Tasmania, the boys left their comfy confines in March 1989 and joined the thriving Northern Queensland circuit of touring bands. It was a baptism by fire, but the boys learned to adapt to different type of audiences and built up their stamina and resilience through the constant playing. It was on this circuit that they were discovered by a band manager, who introduced them to the flourishing Sydney music scene. Here in Sydney is where the industry heavyweights became aware of the band, who by now were playing their own original music for about half of their shows. The band began recording demo recordings, but their demos didn't seem to land on the right music executives' desks.In 1991, the band accepted an offer to appear on the nationally televised talent show, Star Search. The band went on to appear a total of eight times, eventually winning the band section of the Grand Final. But the band didn't strike while the iron was hot. Instead, their debut single, "Say A Prayer", was released six months later. By then, the hype surrounding their Star Search win had somewhat subsided. At this time in April 1992, the music landscape was starting to change with the likes of Nirvana and the grunge scene taking over the airwaves.After the lack of support for their debut single, the Devils decided on having a last-ditch effort into cracking the big time by recording an EP, entitled "Liberation", in Hollywood, Los Angeles during March of 1993. Unfortunately, "Liberation" didn't even make an indentation on the charts, and the boys decided to part ways in October 1993 as the musical landscape was changing in Australia and it was becoming increasingly difficult to make a living as a live/touring band.Now that almost thirty years have passed, their music helps keep the band living on.
Album:
Devils In Heaven is one of those long forgotten late 80s AOR/Hard Rock bands that tried to make a stir but due to bad luck and timing, they were never able to do much outside of winning The Australian Star Search in 1991. This album is a collection of songs that were recorded at that time and also includes bonus tracks and songs from an EP they released in 1993.While a long lost album is certainly something that can reward us with treasures that we never knew existed, this album is a mixed bag. There are some good songs certainly, but others that are as predictable and generic as they come. There is nothing about this band that makes them stand out or differentiate from their contemporaries. There are tracks that remind me of bands like Aviator, American Angel, and Tyketto. Unfortunately, those bands do songs like this (in some cases) better and with much better production.That’s one of the big issues with this album, the production. Take for example Track 3 (’Take Me’). It’s unquestionably a demo, with the sound dropping out of the tape from which it was transferred. While other songs don’t reach that level of annoyance, the quality of the recordings on various songs is low.Of the songs that sound better and deliver the goods, there are a few tracks that should be sought out. It’s easy to see why AOR Heaven released ‘Liberation’ as the single. It’s their best song and a great way to start off the album. The chorus is as catchy as the best melodic rock songs of its time. ‘Ships In The Night’ and ‘Ain’t It A Wonder’ are actually featured twice on the album, and in both cases, the “1990 Bonus Track” versions are better than the original, where the instrumentation is able to breathe and the levels on all of the instruments do not sound the same. Singer David Whitney also gives a more impassioned performance.A few other tunes are also interesting and stand out from all the other tracks on the album. ‘Listen To My Heart’ is practically a dance track and has a nice bass melody line provided by Matt Shield and sporadic keys from Nelson Tabe. The guitar takes the backseat normally reserved for the bass. That makes it unique and catchy, in a dance song kind of way. With ’Your Beating Heart’, the bass line once again takes the forefront and together with a solid rhythm from drummer Phil Crothers (RIP) makes for a solid track. This could easily be mistaken for a Tyketto tune. In terms of chorus construction, it sounds like a leftover from one of their first two albums. The singer even seems to sound like Danny Vaughn on this one. Fans of early Tyketto should absolutely seek this out.Those five songs are definitely worth your time and should either be purchased or routinely streamed. As for everything else, it’s the type of stuff that we have all heard before by bands that do it much better. Certainly listen to the album from your favorite streaming service to determine which tracks work for you, but this is not an outright blind album purchase.
Line Up:
Dave Whitney (Vocals/ Guitar)
Matt Shield (Bass)
Nelson Tabe (Keyboards)
Phil Crothers (Drums)
Tracklist:
01. Liberation
02. The Night Is Over
03. Take Me
04. Ain't It A Wonder
05. Ships In The Night
06. Say A Prayer
07. Age (Simple Man)
08. All Night
09. Listen To My Heart
10. Dreams
11. Your Beating Heart
12. Heart, Mind & Soul
13. Ships In The Night (1990 version) (Bonus Track)
14. Ain't It A Wonder (1990 version) (Bonus Track)
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