SORA – Demented Honour

Unless you’re a fan of the John Lawton Band (JLB), then you probably have never heard of Canadian Guitarist Erol Sora. Erol spent his influential years growing up in Montreal before heading to the States in the 80’s, looking for fame and fortune as a musician. There he embraced work with numerous musicians, including former members of Quiet Riot and Survivor. Most recently, he’s been a staple in vocalist John Lawton’s (Uriah Heep, Lucifer’s Friend) band, where Erol is credited for being on four CDs and two DVDs. “JLB” has an extensive fan base, which has taken the band through England, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, and Slovenia. It’s not difficult to sympathize with the band on their decision at the end of 2004 to take a break from touring. Erol took advantage of this opportunity to put together his own band and record Demented Honour, which is the solo album Erol has been yearning to do.

One of Erol’s goals for Demented Honour was for it to have the sound of “… a Classic album of in-your-face Hard Rock, with occasional Blues, Pop, and AOR elements”. Candidly, Erol has succeeded in meeting most of that goal. The music on Demented Honour certainly has a “Classic Rock” feel to it, and does have quite a few doses of Blues, and even a few does of Pop that arise to the occasion. To say that it’s “in-your-face Hard Rock”, or is even AOR-ish, might be a slight understatement. That’s not to say the release isn’t a success. It’s just that Sora’s gritty vocals (almost Gary Moore like in nature) and guitar sound give the release an undeniable “Classic Blues Rock” sound. This, in turn, creates a personality for the music that helps keep it sounding unique amongst other current Hard Rock releases.

Openers “Highway To Nowhere” and the Bluesy “Guilty” are prime examples where Sora’s vocals keep the tracks from sounding too commercial, while maintaining a distinctive edge. “Along The Way” is the third track on the release, and it also has a slightly Blues-based sound and feel to it, consequently the deeper you get into this release the harder it becomes to not make comparisons to the Rock years of Gary Moore’s career.

Guitar-wise, quite a few of Sora’s leads on this release are impeccable and in some cases elevate some tracks to almost “Metal” status, if even for a mere minute or two. If one were to place a bet in Las Vegas, gambling center of the USA, a sure win would probably be that Sora has been influenced some by Gary Moore and John Sykes in his formative guitar years.

Bottom line, if you’re a fan of Blues-based Rock, or even Classic Rock with a fresh sound, than this release should be a no-brainer buy. It certainly wins points for its distinct sound, due in part to Sora’s vocals and his occasional venomous guitar leads, especially when placed in a room full of commercial, Melodic Hard Rock releases.

Lineup

Erol Sora – Vocals, Guitar
Kevin Dahl – Bass
Lance Chalmers – Drums
Gregory Macdonald – Organ
Louise Porter – Additional Keyboards