The Greatest Wonder is the third album from Khymera, who were originally put together as a studio project but things have clearly now progressed beyond that, into a genuine “band”, with a more stable line up and the promise of live dates during 2008. 

Fronting the band for the second successive album is Dennis Ward, perhaps better known as the bass player from Pink Cream 69 and also one of the foremost producers around today. This album surely proves that he is an incredibly multi-talented individual as his vocals are of very high quality throughout. Joining Ward are Daniele Liverani on keyboards, Tommy Ermolli on guitar and Dario Ciccioni on drums,  the songwriting duties being handled by British twin brothers Tom and James Martin who have come up with an impressive array of soft melodic rock tunes. 

The album kicks off with short instrumental track “Ablaze” before kicking into gear with “Beautiful Life”, a luscious reminder of how AOR sounds when done properly, with Ward’s vocals full of emotion and warmth. My only criticism of this album is that it does tend to be a bit “one-paced”, with ballads mixed with tracks of a very similar tempo and character. Don’t get me wrong, they are very good examples of the genre, but perhaps more of a mix in terms of pacing would have helped. 

Having said that, it is hard not to like the tracks if you are a fan of the genre, as every element of AOR is present, from the great keyboard work to the harmony vocals and a dash of melodic guitar riffing. My favourite track by a long way is “Since You Went Away”, which is the very embodiment of everything I love about this type of rock, including a fantastic chorus which I could see going down a storm in a live setting. The album’s ballads, particularly “Love Has Been And Gone” are also very good, without being anything particularly original. 

In summary, anyone who appreciates AOR and the lighter end of melodic rock will be impressed with the strongest Khymera outing to date and it may well feature in the end of year “Best Of” polls for a good few people.

Let us know your views on The Greatest Wonder

Track Listing

Ablaze
Beautiful Life
Borderline
Burn Out
Since You Went Away
Love Has Been And Gone
No Sacrifice
The Greatest Wonder
Fight For Yesterday
If I Can't Be
Love Will Find You
Stay Forever
The Other Side

Line Up

Dennis Ward - Vocals
Tommy Ermolli - Guitar
Dario Ciccioni - Drums
Daniele Liverani - Keyboards/Bass