China - China (1988)

Country: Switzerland
Year: 1988
Line-up: Math Shiverow (vocals), Freddy Laurence (guitars), Claudio Matteo (guitars), Mark Lynn (bass), John Dommen (drums).

Track Listing:

1.   Intro   0:59 2.   Shout it Out   4:11 3.   Back to You   3:42 4.   The Fight is On   4:19 5.   Wild Jealousy   4:26 6.   Rock City   3:08 7.   Hot Lovin' Night   4:44 8.   Living on the Stage   4:11 9.   I Need Your Love   4:15 10.   Staying Alive   3:22 11.   One Shot to the Heart   3:26 12.   Don't Look Back   3:29

Fletchanator's comment: Swiss hard rockers China have become a bit of a running joke in the business for their inability to make it stick with any one lead singer, going through four front men in the space of their first four albums. This is their debut and the only appearance of singer Math Shiverow, who was replaced by ex-Crown vocalist Patrick Mason a year later, then American Eric St Michaels (ex-Trouble), then Douglas McCowan, before St Michaels returned a few years ago. Hell, Krokus singer Marc Storace even fronted this band for a few shows between permanent singers in 1992!
Okay, so despite the fact China went through singers like Spinal Tap went through drummers, what do they sound like? They play a brand of music that I can only describe as melodic hard rock that has AOR tendencies, or AOR that has melodic hard rock tendencies. In other words, their music straddles the line between AOR and melodic hard rock. They remind me of Trixter and Danger Danger - lightweight hard rock with lots of gang vocal harmonies and infectious grooves. It's good stuff, check it out!

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