VELVET THUNDER

Lazarus Dream is a hard rock band that is the product of a collaboration between the German musicians Markus Pfeffer and Carsten Schulz with Lifeline being the bands second album following on from Alive which came out in 2020. I mentioned in the review for Alive that the band delivered a superior hard rock similar to that of Slip Of The Tongue-era Whitesnake and this still pretty much sums up the core Lazarus Dream sound but you will also pick up a flavour of Mark III Purple, a touch of Rainbow as well as bands like Dokken, Edguy and Running Wild. Markus Pfeffer is a talented multi-instrumentalist and stunning guitarist and you can also sample his work by having a listen to the groups Winterland and Barnabas Sky. He seems adept at everything he plays too and his skills as a bassist and keyboard player very much match his talents as a guitarist of considerable repute. Pfeffer is building up a steady volume of work with vocalist Carsten Schulz who reminds a little of Graham Bonnet and he always delights as he offers up powerful and soaring vocals which can also be experienced with the band Devoid and he was previously a member of Evidence One and Domain.

As with the album Alive, Pfeffer and Schulz have brought in guests to help in the recording process with several of them also featuring on the debut so we have Markus Kullmann (Sinner, Voodoo Circle) on drums along with fellow drummers Andy Lübbert and Thomas Rieder with Derek Sherinian (Sons Of Apollo, ex-Dream Theater) featuring on keyboards on the opening epic Dead End Symphony with fellow ivory tinklers Jorris Guilbaud (Devoid/ Heart Line) on Overdose Of Paradise and Thomas Nitschke appearing on Freedom and Your Voice Inside My Head. Some neat use of the Hammond organ gives a lovely, warm retro feel to the proceedings but this remains hard rock that is totally relevant for today’s metal fans but will still draw sighs of contentment from the old dinosaurs out there (of which I am proud to include myself)! The album features lots of riffs and solos with delicious keyboards throughout and some amazing harmonies and hooks that keep you entertained throughout with every track having that delicious, thrilling epic feel that satisfies so completely.

The CD comes with two bonus tracks in Surrounded By Strangers and a cover of I Engineer which was a relatively obscure number originally recorded by Animotion in the Eighties. Both these tracks are missing if you opt for the download version but you do get the bonus song Once Upon A Time which is omitted from the CD. If you are looking for a new name to deliver up some stunning old-school hard rock then look no further than Lazarus Dream as this could just be the band that you were looking for. To quote a certain band we all know and love – Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll.