Reviewed by Peter Bate

Scott Wenzel, testing the waters as a solo artist whilst the future of US CCM metal outfit Whitecross is put on ice, breaks no new ground with 'Heart Like Thunder'. Plodding along at a pedestrian pace, apart from a few punchy riffs from Billy Heller's guitar, Scott seems to have plumped for a safe, ballad-based, melodic rock sound. Yet, in my opinion, Scott's fiery voice just does not suit this type of material. Instead he sounds far more at home barking along to "One God, One Love" - the one full tilt rocker on this otherwise restrained recording. It's not all bad news though. Scott's heartfelt lyrics are, at times, refreshing in their simplicity, whilst "One God, One Love" and "You Gave Everything" (the final ballad, in which Scott's voice suddenly mellows!) are decent tracks. Maybe Scott should take a leaf out of Glenn Kaiser's, or even our own Sammy Homer's, book by adapting his musical direction rather than just softening it when entering the solo arena in order to offer something fresh and original.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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