There are bands that reinvent themselves with every record, and then there are bands that know exactly who they are. Hardline fall firmly into the second category — and on Shout, due April 17 via Steamhammer, they’re not apologizing for it.
The record is the band’s seventh studio effort, but the shadow of their 1992 debut Double Eclipse looms large over it — intentionally so. That album established the blueprint: hook-heavy hard rock with a melodic consistency that few bands in the genre have ever matched. Everything Hardline have done since has operated within that framework, and Shout does not attempt to break from it.
Vocalist Johnny Gioeli — also known for his work with Axel Rudi Pell and Crush 40 — is direct about what the band was going for. “Our current album features our typical choruses and the classic songwriting style of Double Eclipse supported by a contemporary production and state-of-the-art sound,” he says. “The album gives you that feeling you get when you roll down your car window and turn up the radio on full blast.”
He leaves no room for ambiguity on the band’s creative direction. “This band doesn’t want to reinvent its music. Hardline is Hardline, and our fans know what to expect from us!”
Gioeli leads a roster that blends American and Italian talent. Flanking him are keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (also of Vanden Plas and Jorn), guitarist Luca Princiotta, bassist Anna Portalupi, and drummer Marco Di Salvia — a unit that has clearly found its footing as a cohesive creative force.
First single “Rise Up” is the album’s opening statement, described as a direct reflection of the melodic consistency that has defined the band across three decades. The video is available to watch below.
Shout arrives 04/17 through Steamhammer in the following configurations: CD DigiPak; LP (140g black vinyl with padded inner sleeve and coloured insert); exclusive CD/LP bundles with a shirt available only through the Steamhammer shop; and digital download and streaming. Pre-orders are live here.
