Year : 1989 (Foque Records Edition 2007)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : Spain
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 79 mb
Bio:
HIROSHIMA was formed in 1986 in the town of Pinto, located 17 kilometers south of Madrid with José Miguel Ross (vocals), Carlos Rufo (guitar), Sebastián Arroyo (bass), Fernando P. Cobo (drums), and Gerardo Muñoz (keyboards).A heavy metal look with American rock and melodic hard rock songs sung in English are the hallmarks of this quintet.They started out promoting their first demos, which they had composed in their rehearsal studios.It was in 1989 that HIROSHIMA entered the world of hard rock, or rather hard FM and AOR, since that is where their music belongs. With the support of the Avispa Records label, this Spanish band released their first untitled album that year.In 1990, they released two singles and changed the lineup, with Gabriel Boente joining on vocals and Roberto on guitar.The following year, 1991, given the poor response from the public and the lack of promotion, Carlos and José Miguel left the band to set up a recording studio.That same year, the band ended up splitting up.Fernando went on to play in bands such as Corazones Negros and Bloody Mari R&R.Sebastián Arroyo has also played in Media Luna Rock, Embers of Pride, and Natal Pride.Foque Records released the new CD version in 1999.The album is of high quality, with songs in the AOR and American rock style of the time, but, like other bands, singing in English meant that they didn't have much luck on the national scene despite being good musicians and having done a very good job with this one album.
Album:
This unique album by HIROSHIMA is therefore typically Hard FM/AOR. The mid-tempo “Come On” and “Broken Heart” are typical of what was being done in this style, especially by European bands, with appropriate backing vocals on the chorus, and remain decent within the genre. A track like “We Belong” is very much rooted in the melodic hard rock and hard FM of the late 80s. It's easy to listen to, and there's not much else to add. After that, some people may easily grow weary when listening to tracks such as "Forever “ (Editor's note: a song that was used very frequently in the 80s, by the way), ”Feel The Wind,“ and ”Don't Close Your Eyes,“ which are very ordinary, don't really advance the cause, and, at best, being magnanimous, there is a nice guitar solo to remember on ”Forever".The Spanish band raises the bar with tracks such as “Missing You,” a mid-tempo pop-rock/AOR song layered with sophisticated guitars. It may not seem like much at first glance, but it subtly reveals a hint of chart-topping potential and could even have been a hit at the time with a little luck. But there's also the energetic “Tell Me What You Want,” which has nothing to do with the ZEBRA classic (dating back to 1983) but is catchy with its playful side, and “Loneliness,” which starts as a ballad and then takes on a harder edge thanks to more vigorous drums, more biting guitars, not to mention the cries of the audience heard towards the end, which give it a nice live feel.This unique recording by HIROSHIMA, which is more or less in line with SANGRE AZUL, NIAGARA (at least in its most fundamentally AOR aspect), and MANZANO, fits into the context of its time and does not revolutionize the world of hard FM or AOR in the slightest. It is a passable album. Not essential, no, but passable even if it has aged a little and lacks a bit of daring.The singer has a rather pleasant (high-pitched) voice and didn't overdo it. After this album, HIROSHIMA disappeared from the scene and, over time, became something of a cult band (especially in Spain), especially as their only album was long considered a collector's item.All the songs are top of the line !! The voice of Jose Miguel Ross reminded me of the great Tony Mills (former Shy and actual TNT singer) but of course miles away to be the great Tony Mills !! Anyway song such as "Loneliness","Tell Me What..." & "Missing You" are timeless songs among the spanish AOR bands.Highly recommended !!
Line Up:
Jose Miguel Ross - vocals - See also: ex-Tony Hernando
Carlos Rufo - guitars - See also: ex-Barón Rojo
Sebastian Arroyo - bass - See also: ex-Media Luna Rock, ex-Embers of Pride, ex-The Natal Pride
Fernando P. Cobo - drums - See also: ex-Corazones Negros, ex-Bloody Mari R&R
Gerardo Muñoz - keyboards
Production:
Recorded At – Estudios M20
Mixed At – Estudios M20
Cover, Design – Elías González
Design [Logo] – Hiroshima
Engineer – Francisco Martínez (2), J.J. Serrano
Engineer [Assistant] – Iván Camacho
Management [Assistant] – Andrew Mac-Veigh
Photography By – Rafa Basa
Producer – Tony López
Written-By – Hiroshima
Tracklist:
01. Come On
02. Forever
03. Missing You
04. Broken Heart
05. Loneliness
06. Feel the Wind
07. Don`t Close Your Eyes
08. Tell Me What You Want
09. We Belong
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
