Human Nature

Human Nature is the fifth album, on which Hardline, conscious of the debut’s heat, played the classic style with thick guitar and big choruses. Released on Frontiers in 2016. Around Johnny Gioeli (vocals), Josh Ramos returned on guitar, with Alessandro Del Vecchio (keys/production), Anna Portalupi (bass) and Francesco Jovino (drums) locking it down. Every song is a Del Vecchio/Gioeli co-write. From the opener “Where Will We Go from Here,” the striking “Nobody's Fool,” the bluesy “Trapped in Muddy Waters,” the forceful “United We Stand,” to the closer “Fighting the Battle,” hook-laden songs line up. A drive to reclaim the weight not heard since Double Eclipse runs throughout, and in 2017 a tour celebrating the debut’s 25th anniversary followed. The stance of building drama through the density of the playing while keeping the vocal in the lead stays consistent. Gioeli’s taut voice and the band’s heat mesh — a satisfying melodic hard-rock record that revives the debut’s spirit for today.