JOURNEY - FIRST INSIGHT INTO NEW CD ECLIPSE:

JOURNEY - FIRST INSIGHT INTO ECLIPSE:
 
Journey have just completed their first live show for 2011 and first since ending their Revelation tour. The Las Vegas date is a warm up for the coming South American tour and the first date of two years of planned touring. The US summer leg will include Foreigner and Night Ranger as support.

The band previewed no less than 5 new Eclipse tunes in tonight's set. The complete set list was: Separate Ways, Edge of the Moment (new Eclipse track), Only the Young, Ask the Lonely, Never Walk Away, Send Her My Love, Resonate (new Eclipse track), Stone in Love, Keep on Running (Deen vocal), City of Hope (new Eclipse track), Lights, Open Arms, Chain of Love (new Eclipse track), Mother Father (Deen vocal), Escape, Guitar jam, Wheel in the Sky, Human Feel (Rise Up) (Eclipse track), Be Good to Yourself, Faithfully, Don't Stop Believin', Encore: Anyway You Want It, Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'.

Thanks to MR regular Rip, you can check out each new track via YouTube footage of tonight's show now:

Resonate: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTM1_CUKtp0
Chain of Love: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIBvmm9bQ0k
Edge Of The Moment: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsWOhNdmlfg
City Of Hope: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceSmLs2wO4I
Human Feel (Rise Up): www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8N_0n4kmu8

As you can hear, this album is going to be a rocking affair and less commercial than possibly anything that has come before it. Guitar freaks are going to be all over this. I have been listening to the studio version of the lead album cut City Of Hope over and over again. This is an incredible track. It packs a punch from the opening riff, features duel guitars throughout and piano is used to fill the sound. There is a strong verse, a shifting bridge and an anthemic chorus in the vein of Faith In The Heartland and Never Walk Away. Deen Castronovo pounds away, but the song belongs to Neal Schon, who shreds from start to near finish. The last 90 seconds of the track is a double, then triple time drum/guitar shred-fest that turns the track heavier. Just tremendous stuff and glorious to hear in such a melodic setting!

Now, every band can come up with a classic song, but the intensity, power and guitar overdrive of this song, coupled with the usual anthemic flair of Journey's classic style leaves one with a very positive outlook towards the coming album. If the lead track can be filled with such power, then the rest of the album promises to be a real revelation (no pun intended!).