SHANNON – World Of Desire

Right from the opening scream, you are left standing there scratching your head thinking Déjà vu. The music and singing confirms it. Yes, you just went back in time about twenty plus years to be exact. The music has you rockin’ and groovin’ to the beat, tapping your feet, playing air guitar, pretending that your fingers are drumsticks as you keep the beat on the table. Then the closing scream finally arrives and has you wondering who the hell this band is? The band is from Paris, France and they name themselves Shannon. For a Rock band, how they came up with that name must have an interesting story behind it. Right now, the most important thing is whether or not they can rock, and from what is on this EP, they certainly do that real well.

Shannon was formed in early 1998 by Patrice Louis (guitars) and Thierry Dagnicourt (keyboards) who were already playing together. In the spring of ’98, Shannon acquired singer Olivier Del Valle from the band Jannylee. After acquiring a bassist and drummer, the early days line-up was completed and a debut CD was released in November of 2003 on the Anvilcorp label (distributed by Wagram). In the middle of 2005, the band had its first of a few line-up changes, and today’s version of Shannon is Olivier Del Valle (vocals), Nicolas Fixy (bass), Benjamin Bergerolle (drums), and the original two founding members.

With their 2003 debut, Shannon’s self-titled CD was praised and regarded by international press as one of the most impressive and brilliant albums of the year under the Classic 80’s USA Melodic Rock genre. Now, they are coming out with their second release, an EP entitled World Of Desire. They are melodic at times with their catchy, high-pitched choruses and background vocals, but a scream or two from Olivier or Patrice’s piercing riffs and axe-attack places them on the verge of Metal status. The powerful bass and percussion section can be heard loud and clear on every track without even a slight chance of being drowned out by the keyboards or vocals. This enforces the band’s status as being a Hard Rock band and not just another act with charismatic melodies.

People have compared Shannon to Danger Danger, Fair Warning, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Firehouse, Gotthard, Treat, Def Leppard, Harem Scarem, Dokken, Poison, Journey, Bon Jovi, Tyketto, Bonfire, Jaded Heart, and Pink Cream 69. It’s hard to fathom that a comprehensive list such as this has omitted Cinderella, especially when “No Better Times,” a kick-ass tune and probably the best of the five songs on the EP, is about as reminiscent as it gets.

“Do You Know” is a decent opener. The bass and vocal levels are just right, so Olivier’s screams have a stronger effect and Patrice’s solo sounds even heavier. The drumming is strong and solid all the way through. The tune after the opener is “Hungry For Love,” and if that isn’t an 80’s title for a song, then what is? Patrice opens the song with a pretty good-sounding riff, and his guitar along with Olivier’s voice is the focal point of the song for a while since the bass and drums are busy being the rhythm section. Olivier’s high-pitched voice can’t be overlooked.

“Long Gone” starts with a nice little bass run paving the way for Patrice’s big moment to shine with his 6-string. This is a good song for its melodic background vocals from several of the band members joining in on this one. The closing song on the EP is titled “Keep On Rolling.” There is something different about this song that separates it from the rest. The drumming seems more deliberate and rehearsed, while the guitar solo has a different vibe and style altogether than in previous tracks.

Had Shannon been around in the 80’s and 90’s, they would have fit right in with the music scene of that time. The music that Shannon puts out is no different than the music those other well-known bands were coming up with during that era. Some bands made a nice career out of it while others fell by the waist side. Shannon is one of those bands that would be releasing their 20th something album right about now. Look forward to their next full length album to be released since it will make you feel younger by a good twenty plus years.