Revolution Saints: A Great Album and a Missed Opportunity

When I first heard that Doug Aldrich (Lion, House of Lords, Huricane, Dio, Burning Rain, Whitesnake, Raiding the Rock Vault), Jack Blades (Night Ranger, Damn Yankees, Shaw/Blades) and Deen Castronovo (Hardline, Bad English, Journey) were joining forces and releasing a record under the name Revolution Saints, to say I was excited would be an understatement. Perhaps I was a bit too excited. Don't get me wrong, Revolution Saints self-titled debut is an excellent record. In my view, however, it could have been a whole lot better.

Let's start with the good. The songs, top to bottom are fantastic and the musicianship is superb. Doug Aldrich is an absolute beast, only someone made the bright decision to let his best solo languish as a bonus track on the deluxe version, but I'll get more into that later. Jack Blades is solid as a rock, but you'd never know what an great singer he is by listening to this record. Deen Castronovo delivers the vocals in amazing fashion. I was familiar with Deen from his work as a drummer with the likes of Hardline, Bad English and , of course, Journey, but after hearing him sing "Still They Ride" on Journey's "Live in Manila" DVD, I couldn't wait to hear more. Deen gets a shot at lead vocals on Neal Schon's most recent solo record, but he really delivers the goods on Revolution Saints. Arnel Pineda should be watching his back. I also like that Jason Becker has a co-write on "Dream On". Very cool.

Okay so if the album is so awesome, what didn't I like about it? Well, for starters, other than two Blades co-writes on "Turn Back Time" and "Dream On", there are no other writing credits for Blades, Aldrich or Castronovo. Knowing what good writers these guys are, it makes me believe the songs were written before they got involved. More like hired guns on a Alessandro Del Vecchio solo record (Del Vecchio has writing credit on all but one song on the record) than a band. It also bothers me that Neal Schon and Arnel Pineda from Journey were brought to guest on "You're Not Alone" (Pineda) and "Way To The Sun" (Schon). This feels forced and a bit contrived. To me, this no more than a marketing tactic designed to attract Journey fans in hopes of selling more records. While I understand the business side, when you have Aldrich and Castronovo, you don't need Schon and Pineda. The fact that Arnel Pineda has a lead vocal on this record and Jack Blades does not is mind-boggling. At least they were smart enough to record versions of these two songs with Aldrich and Castronovo, but you have to buy the deluxe version to get them. In addition to the extra tracks, the deluxe version also comes with a bonus DVD with a "making-of" documentary and videos for "Turn Back Time" and "Back On My Trail" so it's well worth the cost.

The bottom line is this really is a great record and I highly recommend picking it up (using Amazon link from the Decibel Geek page of course), but, in some ways, it's a missed opportunity. My hope is that these guys can find time to hit the road with this project and then get a chance to do a second record, one that they truly can collaborate on. No outside writers, no guest artists. As good as this record is, given the chance, these guys could make a follow-up that would blow this one out of the water.

Below is the track list. Solid front to back. Del Vecchio is a talented songwriter. Highlights are "Turn Back Time" (Blades co-write and co-lead vocal), "Way To The Sun" (Aldrich Version), and "In the Name Of The Father" (Deen at his absolute best).

Revolution Saints track listing:

01. Back On My Trail
02. Turn Back Time
03. You're Not Alone (feat. Arnel Pineda)
04. Locked Out Of Paradise
05. Way To The Sun (feat. Neal Schon)
06. Dream On
07. Don't Walk Away
08. Here Forever
09. Strangers To This Life
10. Better World 
11. How To Mend A Broken Heart
12. In The Name Of The Father (Fernando's Song)

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks

01. You Are Not Alone (Arnel Pineda version)

02. Way To The Sun (Doug Aldrich version)

03. You Are Not Alone (Deen Castronovo version)

For more information visit: www.facebook.com/RevolutionSaints

Official video for "Turn Back Time"

Raiding the Rock Vault – A Must-See Vegas Experience For Any Rock Fan

Its summer and many rock fans will be heading to Las Vegas for a little R&R. With many choices for entertainment, there’s really only one choice for fans of rock and that’s Raiding the Rock Vault. I've personally seen the show 3 times and can't wait to go back. Recently voted the #1 show in Vegas. Rock Vault is the brainchild of John Payne (Asia) and producer, David Kershenbaum, the show launched in 2013 and quickly became one of the top rated shows in town. Rock Vault takes the audience on a live chronological journey through the history or rock. Only this is not your ordinary cover band. Posters around town and in the casino advertise “Classic Rock by Those Who Rocked it” and that’s not an understatement or marketing ploy. The talent and pedigrees that makes up this band is just awesome. The two hour show flies by as there is non-stop entertainment. Era-specific mini-skits bridge the musical decades and enable the band to change clothes and take a quick breather.


From the opening chords of The Who’s “My Generation”  to final bow following  Van Halen’s “Jump” complete with a few lucky ladies getting invited to the stage to sing and dance with the band, the energy is awesome. Some of the highlights include Paul Shortino’s cranking out The Doors “Light my Fire” and The Rolling Stones “Honky Tonk Women”, Robin McAuley killing it on Queen’s “We are the Champions” and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven” and Doug Aldrich and Howard Leese trading solos on Hotel California. Other songs in the set included,” “Jukebox Hero,” “Smoke On The Water,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” “Separate Ways,” “All Along The Watchtower,” “Here I Go Again,” “Highway To Hell,” “Alone,” “Addicted To Love,” “Dream On,” “Stayin’ Alive,” and “Another Brick In The Wall,”. It’s obvious the band loves what they do and is truly having a blast.

If you are reading this, then you know these names. The musicians that make up this show no doubt wrote and recorded some of your favorite records. Here’s a rundown of the band and just some of their credits.

Robin McAuley: Vocals (Grand Prix, Suvivor, McAuley-Schenker Group) 

Paul Shortino: Vocals (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot) 

Doug Aldrich: Guitar (Lion, Whitesnake, Dio, Burning Rain,  Hurricane, House of Lords) 

Howard Leese: Guitar (Heart, Bad Company, and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) 

Jay Schellen: Drums (Badfinger, Hurricane, Asia) 

Andrew Freeman: Vocals/Bass (Lynch Mob, Offspring)

Michael T. Ross: Keyboards (Lita Ford, Hardline, Missing Persons, Angel)

Hugh McDonald: Bass (Bon Jovi, Cher, Alice Cooper)

Carol Lyn-Liddle: Vocals (Masters of Rock)           

There’s also the occasional special guest. Past special guests have included, Bobby Kimball, Joe Lynn Turner, Jon Anderson, and Lou Gramm.

A VIP option is available which gives you a chance to go backstage for a meet and greet with the band prior to the show. The guys will even hangout after for autographs and photos with the audience.

As of the writing of this review, the band released a second volume of studio versions of some of the songs from the show. Songs from Raiding the Rock Vault volumes one and now two are available at the show and digitally through iTunes and Amazon.com.

Raiding the Rock play 5 nights a week (dark Wednesdays and Thursdays) at the Westgate Hotel and Casino, formally the LVH. More information and tickets visit: www.raidingtherockvault.com