Former Whitesnake man, Joel Hoekstra always seems to be a busy man, juggling his many projects and guest appearances here and there.

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'From The Fade' is the fourth release for his solo project Joel Hoekstra’s 13. Hoekstra has assembled quite the supporting cast of names to help on this latest album. Legendary Drummer, Vinny Appice; Bassist, Tony Franklin (Blue Murder); Keyboard king, Derek Sherinian and new name to me on vocals, Girish Pradhan. Not forgetting Jeff Scott Soto who helps out on backing vocals too.

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Onto the album itself and its little surprise that the album is high quality stuff from the off. Opening track, ‘You Can Give’ sets the table for the 10 tracks on hand. From Hoekstra’s guitar playing to Appice’s drumwork, Sherinian’s keyboard class and Franklin’s locked in bass, the musical standard is top notch. Phadhan’s vocal seamlessly blends into the songs, as if he were a household name himself. Pradhan’s lower register isn’t far away from Nathan James of Inglorious at times.

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There are plenty of good tracks like ‘You Can Give’, ‘The Fall’, ‘Misunderstood’, ‘Start to Fight’, ‘Free to Be’ and ‘The End of Me’. All showcasing the abundance of talent on hand. Without question if you are a fan of any of the people on this album, you will enjoy this release. It’s just good, well delivered hard rock music produced by talented and experienced men who rarely put a foot wrong.

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The album artwork deserves a mention for its quite simple but eye-catching design.