Hard rock is far from dead. A new collaboration from George Lynch and Michael Sweet is coming to show the rumors of its demise are premature.

Sweet & Lynch is the name of the newest super-group to come together to make some old fashion, ass kickin’ rock. Michael Sweet (lead vocals, guitars), George Lynch (lead guitars), James Lomenzo (bass guitar), and Brian Tichy (drums) make up this very experienced line-up. With Stryper, Dokken, Black Label Society, and Whitesnake, all former stops for the guys respectively, there is no doubting their music pedigrees.

Based out of Boston, the band came together as an idea of Serafino Perugino, president of Frontiers Music. It didn’t take long for Sweet to get Lynch on board. Once they added Lomenzo and Tichy, the process of filling out the tracks began in earnest. The new album, Only to Rise, is scheduled to hit shelves Jan 27, 2015 in North America.

According to Sweet, “You will hear some flavors of Journey, Bad Company, Dokken, Van Halen and Stryper. James and Brian are amazing musicians. They tore it up. The drums and bass are just as impressive as the guitars. Everybody really delivered… The musicianship level on this is top-notch. It sounds as if we were all in the studio playing together and we were not. Basically, George wrote some riffs about a minute to a minute and a half long. I wrote lyrics and melodies then arranged them. Then Brian and James came out and tracked the drums and bass, as well as some rhythm stuff. We then sent it back to George to add the guitars.”

“It’s an incredible combination of classic 70s and 80s,” tells Michael Sweet.

The release will have twelve tracks: 01. The Wish; 02. Like A Dying Rose; 03. Love Stays; 04. Time Will Tell; 05. Rescue Me; 06. Me Without You; 07. Recover; 08. Divine; 09. September; 10. Strength In Numbers; 11. Hero-Zero; 12. Only To Rise.

Watch the guys (Lynch and Sweet) talk about the album in their own words.

Though a few songs from the new album have already been leaked, the level of artistic work on this album makes it worth getting. Lynch’s guitar work is on spot again for a man as prolific as David Groehl or Cory Taylor in the amount of projects he has going. The opening rift on “September” reminds you of a classic Iron Maiden epic track. On all the songs, especially “Divine,” Sweet’s vocals are crisp and clean. Only by looking up his age would you know he is not as young as he sounds. On “Strength in Numbers,” Tichy’s drums are large in presence. His skin work in general makes the entire album a percussionist’s dream. “Hero-Zero” is the cut that showcases Lomenzo’s expert bass grooves. His playing is the final element of melodic resonance giving Sweet & Lynch their distinctive sound.

The 80s may be gone, but this modern-day offering will bring back the memories of Aqua-net, MTV playing music, and having a LP that simply rocks without needing all the extras.

Sweet & Lynch
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Michael Sweet
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George Lynch
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About The Author

After getting the photo bug in the far, past days of black and white film, Erich continued to develop his eye for photography which lead to stops in the sporting, art, wedding, and eventually concert music worlds. Now, doing more writing for National Rock Review, he has entered into the journey of getting to know the artists and the industry, not just the faces on the other side of the lens.