Line of Fire

Line of Fire, released in May 2019, is First Signal's third album. Around Harry Hess's soaring singing, polished guitar and thick keyboards build a picture that deserves to be called 21st-century AOR. After the reception of the previous record, a follow-up was a matter of course. Daniel Flores produced again, he and Michael Palace again handled guitars and keyboards, and Johan Niemann came in on bass. The songs are neat and the climb toward the chorus is unmistakable. Hess's voice keeps its gloss with the years, and on that alone this name justifies its existence. Rather than competing in flash, it commits to delivering good songs in good sound. Call it a project if you like — the quality of what is playing is not in doubt. For ears that like Harem Scarem, Magnum or Ten, it lands directly. The range runs from power ballads to full-on hard rock, but the melodic core underneath is consistent. Hess built a long career on this voice and uses that strength here without hesitation. After Ward's first album and Flores's second, this is where the arrangement settled.