Review | The Flood – Hear Us Out

Escape Music

Also, the people behind Escape Music establish musical projects but not so frequent as is the case with Frontiers Records. When label-owner Khalil Turk launches a project, you can count on it that it is well presented and done with a lot of thought. Behind the latest project The Flood a lot of thought and effort have been put into it. And it shows on the first record ‘Hear Us Out’.

THE FLOOD – THE PLAYERS

If you have a heart for melodic rock and metal the players on this album will sound familiar. The main creators of the songs are singer extra-ordinaire Chris Ousey (Heartland/Snakecharmer, Ousey/Mann) and guitarist Jim Kirkpatrick (FM). These two dudes have composed all the music and shared production responsibilities. On bass we find the talented Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big/Talas and so many other great bands). On drums we have Saxon powerhouse Nigel Glockler and on keyboards we once again meet the one and only Didge Digital, who was a main force in the first years of FM.

MUSCLE AND MELODY

‘Hear Us Out’ is a fine example of how to mix muscle and melody into an intriguing exhibition of rock music. It combines melodic rock with a touch of AOR but the main ingredient is power. At times this outfit flirts even with metal. Especially when Glockler and Sheehan put the gear in overdrive on songs like ,,The Flood’’ and ,,Stand Up’’. These are relentless hard rockers that are impressive. Ousey sings his heart out, Kirkpatrick tortures his guitar and Didge Digital can be heard duelling with Kirkpatrick, proving that his role is bigger than just colouring in the songs.

ALL-ROUND VOCALIST

Chris Ousey is for me an all-round rock vocalist. He can tackle any sort of rock genre with a certain style and above all the man has a very recognisable voice. I mean, you recognise Paul Rodgers and Glenn Hughes straight away when they sing, Ousey has the same qualities and has his own identity. I can only recommend ‘Hear Us Out’ as it is one of the finest rock records of 2023 so far. The songs are there, the sound is there and the musical execution is at times like a dream come true.

Release date: 24 March 2023