VARIOUS ARTISTS – Rock The Bones: Volume 4

A label that just seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year is Frontiers Records out of Italy. 2006 has been a notably impressive year for Frontiers, who had at one time trudged a path as a cookie-cutter Melodic Rock label, as they continue to significantly grow their list of recognizable bands and artists … along with expanding their reach into a few other “heavier” musical genres. With bands such as Pretty Maids, Thunder, and Shark Island, and with projects such as Andersen-Laine-Readman and Giuntini, Frontiers has clearly established themselves as a force in the Hard Rock/Melodic Metal arena as well.

To commemorate what they’ve accomplished in 2006, Frontiers has released Rock The Bones – Volume 4, a 2-CD, 31-song/band sampler. 27 of these bands legitimately released albums via Frontiers in 2006 … however, Frontiers is offering a bit of a teaser with respect to what is coming in 2007 as well, by including a track from the forthcoming Danny Vaughn, Hartmann, Kelly Keagy, and Jorn CDs — all scheduled for release shortly after the turn of the new year.

Obviously a matter of opinion, but by and large each track included here is the “money shot” from each album, so in buying this CD, one could definitely argue that you’ll get nothing but the best from each of these bands. The only somewhat “unusual” pick, perhaps, would have to be the track “You Can’t Save Me” by Richie Kotzen … this otherwise positive-spirited sampler goes off on a small tangent here via the lyrics of this song, where “f” bombs flow from Richie’s vocal chords like a raging river. But, with songs like “Blinded By A Lie” by Bob Catley, “These Are The Times” by House of Lords, and “Right Up Ahead” by Winger, this minor faux pas can easily be forgiven.

Frontiers curiously left off tracks by some of their best releases this year. There’s no representation from Thunder, John West, Giuntini Project, Andersen-Laine-Readman, and Tony O’Hora. One can only speculate the reasons … perhaps contractual issues, or maybe they just ran out of space on the CDs. Whatever the justification, a track from each of these releases would have simply made a strong 2-CD sampler that much stronger.

In the end, as mentioned in the opening, 2006 has been a very successful musical adventure for Frontiers Records. If you’d like to get a better feel for what they had to offer in 2006, this Rock The Bones – Volume 4 release may be exactly what you should look into picking up … for a mere 10 Euros, exposure to essentially the best of what this label had to offer this past year may be a great way to expand your horizons. Or, this sampler could serve as a great gift for a young or new music fan that is hungry to gain further exposure to what is out there in Melodic Rock/Hard Rock/Metal!