It was quite disconcerting, prior to staring this review, to read comments from Place Vendome vocalist Michael Kiske to some extent distancing himself from the overall direction of the record by stating that "Dennis Ward produced some of the songs now with lots of heavy guitar-overdubs. A bit too much for my personal taste, but it's OK." If the artists involved in making an album aren't 100% committed to the final product how on earth are the record buying public gonna become engaged with an album - read on and find out.

But lets start at the beginning, Place Vendome is the latest in a long line of Frontiers 'project' albums pulling together name musicians from other bands and uniting them in a new, single entity. This time around label boss Serafino Perugino has recruited Pink Cream 69 man Dennis Ward who, alongside fellow PC69ers Dennis Readman and Alfred Koffler, was responsible for much of the material on offer and also acted as producer for the project. Joining Ward in creating the musical vision that is Place Vendome are Pink Cream 69 alumni  Kosta Zafiriou & Uwe Reitenauer as well as Vandenplas ivory tinkler Günter Werno. However perhaps the most interesting feature of Place Vendome is the presence of the aforementioned erstwhile Helloween vocalist Michael Kiske. Despite having eschewed the heavy metal/hard rock scene Kiske was tempted back to his roots on the grounds that this was to be an AOR orientated album along the lines of Journey/Foreigner.

To some extent the Journey/Foreigner reference points are not a million miles away from the reality of this album, but judged on opening track 'Cross The Line' you would never guess it. This is simply the one of the best songs committed to album this year, with lush keyboard washes supporting some furious drumming and guitar lines, the whole track is topped of with the best vocals Kiske delivers on the album and some wonderful harmony lines in the chorus section. Melodic hard rock at its very best.

If 'Cross The Line' whets the listeners ears then be warned it is completely atypical of the rest of the album. From here on in the record consists of, for the majority of the time, more AOR orientated tracks than true hard rock numbers.  This is not necessarily a bad thing and I guess more of what attracted Mr Kiske to the project if the first place -  'The Setting Sun' has overtones of Whitesnake balladry in its composition and arrangement -  just tell me you don't hear 'Is This Love' in their somewhere. The title track itself is a jolly up-tempo romp through pure AOR territory and certainly could be termed a 'feel good' song as could the equally jolly 'I Will Be Waiting'. Saving the best till last however is 'Sign of The Times'  Clocking at 5 1/4 minutes in length, the longest song on offer and as with the album opener delving more into Hard Rock/Melodic Metal territory.

Despites Kiske's protests to the contrary with regards to the use of  too many heavy guitar overdubs, this is far from the truth. Place Vendome is not an album of overblown six string histrionics but more sympathetic playing from all the musicians involved. The problem, if any, lies more in the fact that Kiske's heart just isn't in this style of music anymore and hence his vocal performances often seem to lack authenticity and smack of a payday rather than a true commitment to the music. The listener is left with the feeling at times that this could be something more, the strengths of the musicians on show being greater than the total outcome. Whether this is down to record company requirements, a reluctance on Mr Kiske's part to truly let go in the vocal department or simply the result of what, after all, is a project rather than a true band effort is hard to say, but deep inside Place Vendome, given the right circumstances and commitment from all involved, is a truly great album. This though, for the moment, whilst good is not 'great', but let's face it good from Place Vendome is better than most bands could ever hope for.

Let us know your views on 'Place Vendome'

Track List

Cross The Line
I Will Be Waiting
Too Late
I Will Be Gone
The Setting Sun
Place Vendome
Heavens Door
Right Here
Magic Carpet Ride
Sign Of The Times

Line Up

Michael Kiske - vocals
Kosta Zafiriou - drums
Uwe Reitenauer - guitar
Günter Werno - keyboards
Dennis Ward - bass