Sweet & Lynch - Heart & Sacrifice (2023)
After a 6 year hiatus, Michael Sweet of Stryper rejoins George Lynch for a third album of hard rock anthems, this time with a somewhat darker and heavier tone.
- Heart & Sacrifice - A heavy, driving riff with bright elements propels this song forward. Sweet delivers strong vocal lines, especially through the nicely escalating pre-chorus and the catchy chorus. He’s almost always wailing at full force, and can sometimes go over the top (like the scream between the pre-chorus and the chorus), but he’s definitely on the notes and leaving it all on the table. Lynch provides nice color work around the edges, and the dark breakdown that interrupts the second chorus and flows into a great multi-part solo is a nice surprise. Very good with lots of great touches, I think this deserves a round-up to an 8/10.
- Where I Have To Go - A moodier mid-tempo riff settles into a solid verse groove. Sweet probably oversings the verse a bit, but the pre-chorus builds nicely with some tasteful guitar accents into a reasonably catchy chorus. Lynch fits in some nice soloing after the first chorus, then some more emotional noodling after the second, though Sweet wails a bit too hard over that part before Lynch takes off with another firey solo. Very good with a few weaker elements, 7/10.
- Miracle - Softer, bouncy guitar leads into a melodious verse that cranks up the heaviness a notch as it continues. A brief but effective pre-chorus slides into a multi-part chorus with some nice call and response between the vocals and the guitar. The solo starts off pretty strong and finishes with a great climax and denouement that flows into a short bass interlude before the final choruses. Sweet’s wailing goes over the top again near the end, but Lynch gets in some nice soloing at the same time. Very good overall, a robust 7/10.
- Leaving It All Behind - A drum intro leads into a melodious, lyrical riff and some feely soloing. Slightly twangy guitar underpins a strong verse, soon breaking into a big, anthemic chorus. A somewhat dark and greasy breakdown after the second chorus soon blossoms into a classic-sounding Lynch solo and a very subdued interlude before returning to the chorus. More classic-sounding Lynch fills accompany the outro. Very good with a number of great parts, I think this does enough to round it up to an 8/10.
- You’ll Never Be Alone - A slightly bluesy riff rolls into a marching, midtempo rhythm and a bass-driven verse that’s soon rejoined by the guitar. The vocal lines are strong throughout, including the bright and catchy chorus. The melodic lead that takes the place of a solo is a bit pedestrian, but it fits. Good stuff, 7/10.
- After All Is Said And Done - Bluesy acoustic guitar supports a moody verse. The fake vibrato effect on Sweet’s voice sticks out like a sore thumb here, unfortunately. Distorted guitars come in for a pretty strong chorus, and there’s a nice ascending vocal bridge and a tasteful melodic solo. Pretty good with a number of nice elements, I think it manages to hold onto a 7/10.
- Give Up The Night - An interesting harmonized intro breaks into a cool uptempo riff. Clean ringing guitar accompanies a melodious verse, building back into a very solid chorus that returns to the uptempo riff. A surprisingly great harmonized vocal bridge appears, followed by a ringing distorted guitar interlude and a great solo. Sweet has a few over-the-top wails, but Lynch once again offers up some great outro soloing. Another very good track overall, 7/10.
- Will It Ever Change - A dark and heavy riff gives way to a great atmospheric verse, but the heavy chorus is a little awkward and doesn’t quite stick the landing. A sinister interlude flows into a great melancholy solo that shifts gears into the atmospheric feel of the verse for its second half. Most of the song is great, but the chorus holds it back a bit, so let’s say 7/10.
- It’s Time To Believe - A swaggery rock n’ roll riff suddenly gets more metallic as it rolls into a solid verse. The pre-chorus is less effective, but it soon blossoms into a big, memorable chorus. Driving riffs support a very good solo, but it ends with an extremely awkward transition back into the chorus. Definitely a mixed bag, but I think it still salvages a 7/10 overall.
- Every Day - A punchy, somewhat bright riff drives a pretty good verse, soon leading into a big, driving chorus. The solo is brief but cool, with some nice harmonic play at the beginning. Straightforward, but still good stuff – another 7/10.
- It Rains Again - A grimy, rhythmic riff with some bright but queasy accents drives a pretty good verse, leading into a brighter pre-chorus and then a darker chorus with some incongruously sweet vocal harmonies at the end. Lynch does some interesting noodling while Sweet wails a little too hard over the top, then we get an astonishingly short solo, the pre-chorus, and then a more proper solo before the final choruses. This song has some interesting ideas, but I think it’s the first one on the album to noticeably fall a bit short of the mark. 6/10.
- World Full Of Lies - Bluesy, twangy guitar buffets a serviceable gentle verse, switching to more ringing notes for an OK chorus. The bridge is a little stronger, and the laid back rhythm supporting the gentler bluesy first solo is nice. The more traditional second solo is also good. But overall this track also falls a little short and is merely OK. 6/10.
Average: 7.0/10
Weighted: 7.0/10
This is a very consistently good album with a couple of great tracks that starts to lose a little steam toward the end. Lynch is great as usual, flexing some range while keeping most of the songs in the heavy, somewhat bluesy milieu he’s known for. Sweet generally sounds good, though he’s prone to oversinging a bit, and he really needs to tone down the fake vibrato effect on his voice, since it actually gets in the way of the music a few times here.
This is certainly a better album than the group’s second effort Unified, but it’s not on the same level as their debut Only To Rise. Still, it’s an enjoyable listen full of good songs with no real duds.
(Master review index >)