"Something to Say" Reviews Trae Cadenhead - The Phantom Tollbooth Having a roommate who can't get over '80s Christian Rock music has not been good for my taste in the formerly popular, now dead phenomenon. When I read about Joshua Perahia in another publication that compared them to Petra, it was almost enough to scare me away from this album. However, I was still curious if a band could really be serious about making that kind of music in this day and age. With this predisposed disposition I popped Something to Say into my CD player and received a very pleasant surprise. Granted, the members of Joshua Perahia have come from the glory days of '80s rock and roll, but that doesn't mean that they can't make good music to relate to people now. Something to Say emphasizes that point emphatically. The band is comprised of songwriter/lead guitarist Joshua Perahia (known for his bands Joshua and Jaguar), vocalist Jerry Gabriel (Wasted Angel, Tower, and Fortune), bassist Joey Rochrich (from the German hard rock scene), and drummer Eric Stoskopf (from the L.A. scene). Together, these four talented musicians have created a very impressive collection of melodic hard rock composed of strong ballads and memorable anthems of love. The guitar work of Perahia was the first big draw for me on this album. His solos soar above everything else, yet don't distract from the rest of the music, but instead add to it. Everything seems to flow well together. The music is very much influenced by the aforementioned '80s rock, however comparisons to Petra are totally unfair. The music of Joshua Perahia is much classier than virtually any '80s band that I can think of. They don't have songs that are straight up rock songs meant to get the kids excited, nor do they have soft, quiet songs designed to settle everyone down. The band avoids this trend that I believe set bands such as Petra back and instead opt for an album of songs that flow together well. Most of the songs begin slow and soft and allow for a natural build that fits much better than a forced hard rock riff. Sometimes on the album I can even here slight blues influences, which turn out to be a very beneficial thing. The lyrics of Joshua Perahia, just like the music, don't come off as forced and cheesy, but instead as natural and honest. Love is a key theme of Something to Say and depending on the song it could be love for a person or love for God. Some songs even express both. Either way, Joshua Perahia finds a way to express faith in their music by showing honesty and simply sharing of themselves. The songs that came off as the best written to me were "Remembering You" and "Tears of Joy," which both convey strong imagery and pictures of faith. In thinking about this release from the new lineup known as Joshua Perahia, the key words that I'm left with are talent, class, honesty, and balance. This is an experienced band who knows quite well how to make great music. And that's all coming from me, a guy who doesn't even like '80s rock! C.W. Ross - Christian Rockers Online www.christianrockersonline.com If you're like me and old enough to remember the classic rock sound of 80's bands then you will feel right at home when you play this CD on your stereo. Don't worry though the music isn't dated. It has a classic yet still fresh sound. When you listen to this CD you better have a fire extinguisher handy because of the smoking red hot guitar work found on it. While the guitar work really lights up the songs the drums and vocals are able to hold their own resulting in a top notch music project. Many of the songs have a melodic mood to them but the band proves that they can also play full speed ahead crank it up type rock in the song, "Let Your Love Shine Down." The lyrics found on the CD aren't preachy but come at you more from an open honest faith perspective. If you're a fan of big guitar 80's rock you will love this CD. I also think if you're looking to hear something different from the cookie cutter mold sound that is found on much of today's music you will find much to please your musical taste palate with the songs found on this CD. Andreas Hohn - Rock It Magazine Joshua Perahia wrote melodic rock history in 1988, when his third album "Intense Defense" with vocalist extraordinaire Rob Rock was released, a nowadays hard to find CD. In 1995, his sadly underrated and due to unhappy circumstances (record company bank bankruptcy!) overlooked M Pire work was the man's last musical sign of life..... 2001 marks the triumphant return and believe me, the band is stronger than ever before! It took quite a while to find the perfect singer in Jerry Gabriel. A stroke of luck for every band and definitely an up and coming star in the genre, no matter if his vocals are smooth or aggressive. For the „soulful" moments of the album they succeeded in getting ex Santana voice Alex Ligertwood into the studio who did lead vocals on four of the twelve tracks. Perfect example is the bluesy semi ballad "I Can Feel Again" sending shivers down my spine every time I listen to it. Equally as great is the Survivor-tinged "Remembering You", offered in both acoustic and electric versions. "The First And The Last" is perfect "food" for every west coast fan with Chicago's Jason Scheff adding superb backing vocals. "Let Your Love Shine Down" and "It Hasn't Been Easy" would have been highlights on Whitesnake's mega-seller "1987". And again these fantastic vocals by Jerry Gabriel sending David Coverdale directly into the second row. The title track is destined to become a rock classic with his marvelous hook line. But you haven't heard track number four called "Precious Love". This definitely is the song Boston's Tom Scholz has been dreaming to write for more than twenty years now! Jerry Gabriel sounds like a deadringer to the mighty Brad Delp. But enough of those comparisons, this record doesn't have any weak moment all. And the diversity of genres blows me away! So does the production, handled by the one and only Keith Olsen himself. "Something To Say" is one of the first releases done in the new DVD Audio technology and what a brilliant result we have here! More than sixty-two minutes of pure listening enjoyment. My first and well deserved ten since I'm writing for AOR Europe. My personal record of the year! Score: 10 Peter Albers - Melodic Rock.com It's true: You waited a little bit for this announced review. Now, it's here and it's for you... we waited such a long time for this great CD. To check where this album can be bought go to Joshua's web site at www.joshuaperahia.com. Starting this review is different to my others, is there anybody out there who starts with an Internet link? But this is the most important detail in this review ... this release is more needed than anything other. In a time of terror and tyranny this album is one reason that shows you how life could be so beautiful. Starting with the "back" of a normal review, I'll tell something about the production. It's really rare to have such a production, made by mastermind Keith Olsen in the M&K Studios. There's nothing negative in the production, perfect perfect perfect... Brilliant. The song writing is the next point: I didn't find such excellent tracks in the last time, definitively the best in year 2001 in this genre. It would be stupid to talk about the musicians, rare to find such a great band. Only a few words to the guitar work on "Something To Say": Sometimes you'll find great hooks just like on the "Intense Defense"-album, but the melodic solace make this album so unique... a real outstanding guitar work, believe me. Yes, "Something To Say" starts very quiet and acoustic, more and more the album gets dynamic and powerful. "Let Your Love Shine Down" could be an old fashioned Whitesnake-killertrack (Hi Mr. Coverdale, that's the right way!) And with "It Hasn't Been Easy" you can find a killer track for the charts, musically between the famous Whitesnake and the crazy Guns N' Roses. It's a great mixture of melodic and powerful tracks — at no time is this album boring. "Something To Say" is for lovers and rockers, that's what I mean! Finally, a perfect album with perfect sound and songs, makes the highest rating. Closing this review means to say "Thank You!" to Steve Brownlee of M&K, who sent me this album. I don't have something more to say! Songs: 10/10 Sound: 10/10 All in All: 10/10 Juha Harjula - Midwestern Skies It's been awhile since we heard anything from Mr. Perahia but here he is with the new Joshua album "Something to Say". It was produced by Keith Olsen and Peter Love with brilliant results. On this album Joshua has got some big help on the vocals from guys like Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood (Santana) and Jerry Gabriel that have done fantastic vocal performances. The sound of this album can be compared to some classic acts such as Journey, Rainbow, Whitesnake (era ´87), Stuart Smith and some touches of the "Intense Defense" album. The album opens up with a new version of "Remembering You" from the "Intense Defense" album. Next up is the title track that is a brilliant mid-tempo song where Joshua meets Rainbow with Joe Lynn Turner. "I Can Feel Again" is a lovely ballad that could have been on some of the latest Joe Lynn Turner solo albums. "Precious Love" is the AOR-song of the album. The pre-chorus is just awesome with superb hook lines that lead into a chorus that hits you right away. The guitar work on this song is just outstanding. I have been playing this song again and again. "The First and The Last" is a great 80´s AOR-ballad with brilliant harmony vocals. Brings Journey to my mind... Whitesnake comes back on the wall again on the track "One Night Is Not Enough"; this is a great ballad with lovely melodies that would have made Mr. Coverdale proud. "Something To Say" is a perfect mixture of both melodic hard rock and AOR. You don't get an album this good every day! If you're a true rocker then check out this brilliant album that delivers both rockers and ballads with high class. D. Crockett - Independent Rock Critic Joshua - Something To Say / The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye Hardly the most prolific of artists, talented guitarist Joshua Perahia first came to everybody's attention in the mid 80's with the criminally underrated "Surrender" album, following it a couple of years later with the slightly heavier, yet equally good "Intense Defense" effort. Skip forward to the mid 90's and Joshua popped up again in the decidedly more metal edged M Pire, releasing one album ("Chapter One") before disappearing into obscurity once more. Now back after an extended six year break, Joshua's latest vehicle "Something To Say" sees his most AOR oriented release to date. A great mix of smouldering ballads and gently probing rockers, this would actually seem tame at the side of his previous output but the songs themselves are so damn infectious ! Given a silky smooth, seductive mix by Keith Olsen, fans of Journey, Giant, Hardline etc. will absolutely love it ! "The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye" is a reissue of his now quite hard to come by debut from 1983. Similar in style to the aforementioned "Surrender", it lacks both the production and songs, although it still has some fine moments and is undoubtedly a much better investment than a lot of reissues from that period. (D.Crockett) George Thatcher - Heart of the Rock Magazine Fans of Joshua Perahia's music will be well versed with his prior material, namely the heavy handed affairs that were his albums 'Surrender' and the magnificent 'Intense Defense', both from the 80's. After a stint with the MPire project which did not fare well during 1995, Joshua returns in the new century with this new opus 'Something To Say'. Well, it appears he does indeed have something to say. A musical statement, though not given the same degree of sonic discharge as on those previous efforts. It is a slab of melodic rock lighter than before, but AOR it isn't. For want of a comparison, the closest I can come up with is Big Mouth's 'Hands Of Time' album from 1997. A great album that one. The vocals compare to Larry Leon, while the arrangements and guitar tone also see similarities. The album takes two paths: the lighter and more commercial sounding tracks which feature ex Santana singer Alex Ligertwood, versus the slightly heavier ones with Gabriel singing. In fact with Ligertwood and Scheff appearing, one can't help thinking of the recent Radioactive album 'Ceremony Of Innocence' where both put in appearances. There are moments which do compare. However, I'm not sure the duality adds any value or consistency. Also, the opener 'Remembering You' which was first heard on the 'Intense Defense' album, is given a double workout, both in electric and accoustic versions with Ligertwood doing the honors. Given this is a new album, reworking two versions of an older track (out of the twelve onboard) seems unusual. However that's Joshua's choice ultimately. The title track 'Something To Say' works up some heated energy, while 'I Can Feel Again' starts out with some Neal Schon guitar doodling before settling into a mid-paced groove. 'Precious Love' is a melodic rock beauty, but comparisons to Boston and Brad Delp which have been written about elsewhere are unfounded. Heck, Boston don't even play in this style! 'The First And The Last' is very nice, and played in the same style as Radioactive, with a lush West Coast arrangement. The band start to kick out on the energetic ' Let Your Love Shine Down', a bluesy rock workout. 'Guiding Light' has a european flavor to it and is one of the better hard rockin' tracks. 'Tears Of Joy' has power ballad stamped all over it, again with a blues feel to it, while the organ work is prominent on 'One Night Is Not Enough', effectively another ballad. Despite all these niceties, overall though I came away feeling very underdone about this album. A lot of the songs tend to wash over me but none really stick in my head. Perahia's guitar sound is tempered and restrained, and for those expecting blazing solos a la 'Reach Up' or 'Living On The Edge' from 'Intense Defense', then you'll strike out here unfortunately. It's got a modern sound, but to line it up with many of todays offerings and to compare it favorably, I think you'll be doing a double take. - George Thatcher Pro's: Great lineup, quality of the sound.. no problem there; about time seeing him back in action. Marco Overvest - Art For The Ears Some will read the name of the artist and think he's a new star in the firmament of the music world. However, guitarist Joshua Perahia is a star who has been blinking in the sky since the early eighties. With his band Joshua he released three records. He formed the band Jaguar and later on M-Pire. It was M-Pire that released the last Perahia album, in 1995. It seemed that since the star was dwindling. But he's back. The year 2001 marks the refocusing on Joshua's widely acclaimed talent. His solo album was produced by Keith Olsen (Whitesnake, Scorpions, Santana), guaranteeing a flawless effort. Besides Olsen this disc features an all star cast. Besides two of his old M-Pire buddies, Perahia is assisted by Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood (Santana) and Richard Baker. Lead vocalist on the album is Jerry Gabriel. Musically this record offers great melodic rock/hard rock. It sounds very eighties-like. But it's done with confidence, convincing the listener. Tracks like "I Can Feel Again", "One Night Is Not Enough" and the title track are powerful and catchy rock songs. "Tears Of Joy" sounds like a Bon Jovi classic. On the lighter side, "The First and The Last", is a soulful ballad with close harmony elements. And, of course, Joshua Perahia is a top-notch guitarist, playing with enough fingerspitzengefühl to send shivers over your back. Something to Say is a perfect return for this veteran. Let it shine! Fred Monster - Majestic Magazine After the first Joshua album, Surrender (when was it, 1985 or so?) I lost track of the band. I remember it getting very high ratings in the Hard rock and Metal media around that time, but despite the fact I liked what they did, I didn't rate Surrender as a great album, just good. About a year ago I got the message that Joshua Perahia was going to release a new album and if I were interested I could ask for a promo copy. Of course I was interested, I'm always interested, but it obviously took some time to get the album released, as it didn't hit the doormat until the first week of November. I threw it in the player and... I was completely hooked from the moment I did. Joshua works with three singers on this album. One being Alex Ligertwood, another being one Jerry Gabriel, and the third is Jason Scheff. Gabriel has the smoothest voice of the three, while Ligertwood's voice is more raspy and soulful, a bit like Michael Bolton in his prime. Scheff has the voice with the sharpest edges. Personally I prefer Jerry's voice but there's nothing wrong with the other two either. The album almost never really rocks out; especially the first part of the album is pretty laid back. Towards the end it's getting a bit heavier, which is a bit odd as most albums are built up completely the other way round. Despite being the name giver of the band Mr. Perahia never starts an ego trip anywhere. Instead his playing is completely in support of the songs, which adds to the high quality of the album. Finally I'd like to point out that the sound of the album is very good, which is no wonder, as Keith Olsen has been involved in the mix. Next to the great songs, this gives the album just that little extra push in the right direction. Rating: MMMM½ Jordan Kallias - Metal Reviews.com The road to the future usually leads through the past and Joshua albums Surrender and Intense Defense have driven my boyhood in the 80's ... especially Surrender, which I consider as one of the best ever hard rock albums of the 80's (thanks Paolo). This band, which had disappeared like magic (in this case ... black magic), is back with a new record. Unfortunately, this new album has no relationship with the old ones. The lineup is not the same (expect Joshua of course) and the music is also different compared to Surrender and Intense Defense. In a word, Joshua sounds today like Dare, playing more ballads than hard rock songs. What a shame for the old fans! On the other hand, this Something to Say is good enough to bring new fans. First and second tracks, "Remembering You" & "Something to Say", are typical ballads. The arrangements are wonderful and so is the production: crystal clear and as usual with Joshua records, the professional touch from these Americans is again evident on Something To Say. Well if you like AOR, with arrangement reminding you of JOURNEY, B Dare<>or Styx and if you have nothing against ballads, this one is for you. The Joshua I knew (Surrender, Intense Defense) is dead and gone. It is difficult for me to accept it, but that's life. At the end, this reminds me the story of King Kobra and Mark Free. These bands ruled in the 80's and I grew up in the 80's ... but we are not anymore in the 80's. When I remember that this band (Joshua) was not able to play as an opening act, because the headliners were afraid of them... Joshua is dead, long live Joshua Perahia ! Rating: 75/100 Reader reviews from Rock Tracks Magazine DJ Klaus (62.104.218.70) 11/2/101 at 0:32 AM HMS (64.175.222.190) 11/2/101 at 6:50 PM Ive Michiels (212.239.130.124) 11/22/101 at 4:08 PM Robbie Van's - Powerplay Magazine Issue #30 An artist who has been out of the spotlight for awhile would have to be Joshua Perahia who fronted the band Joshua in the eighties. He did re - surface briefly in the nineties with his band M-Pire and that was it. Well he's now about to release his first album of the new millenium called "Something To Say" and judging by the sound of it old Joshua's got plenty to say. For a start he's toned down his playing and has adopted a more relaxed style. The songs themselves have also been taken into a more classic rock direction that is favoured by the likes of Moody/Marsden period Whitesnake. And although it may be different from past Joshua releases it works and works well. He may also not have Bob Rock in the band but in vocalist Jerry Gabriel he has a more than adequate replacement. Songs like "Something To Say", "I Can Feel Again", "Let Your Love Shine Down" and "Steady Weapon" all show their class. Also suprisingly this album has an almost pure AOR vein running down it's middle which gives it an even classier feel. You could do a lot worse than buy this classy album! Gabor Kleinbloesem - Strutter Magazine JOSHUA guitarist Joshua Perahia strikes back with a hot new CD release entitled 'Something to say'. After releasing great AOR/Melodic rock records in the 80s with JOSHUA and in the mid 90s with MPIRE, he now has a new project under his own name. Additional musicians include vocalist Jerry Gabriel, bassist Joey Rochrich, drummer Eric Stoskopf and lead singers Alex Ligertwood (SANTANA) and Jason Scheff (CHICAGO). Musically it is very AOR inspired, with a lot of (semi) ballads and not too many rockers, but still there's some Hard rock a la WHITESNAKE, but like I said the album is mainly focused on pure AOR (Ballads). The production is superb, and that's due to the fact that KEITH OLSEN (FIONA, PREVIEW, KINGDOM COME, SCORPIONS…) is the producer of this album. The recording took place in the M&K Studios. I can also inform you that this is a high quality AOR record, with some beautiful melodies in each and every song, so nothing stands in the way to give this album a big recommendation! First, I would like to tell you about the songs. Opener "Remembering You" (co-written by SHOUTer KEN TAMPLIN) is a fantastic emotional 80s type semi AOR ballad a la JOURNEY and SURVIVOR. Up next is "Something To Say", a song that starts calm, but later turns out to be a great up-tempo AOR rocker a la 38 SPECIAL. The CD continues with the bluesy AOR ballad "I Can Feel Again", a track that reminds me of WHITESNAKE. Then comes one of my favorite tracks, the superb classy (typical) mid tempo AOR song "Precious Love" (a la STREET TALK, BAD ENGLISH, and JOURNEY). The only let-down of the CD is the west coast pop ballad "The first and the last", although the song has a nice guitar solo by Joshua, it just falls a bit out of place between the 'Rock/AOR' material on the rest of the CD. "Let your love shine down" follows and is a nice WHITESNAKE type bluesy Hard rock song. We're back into pure AOR with the lovely up-tempo AOR/Radio-rocker "Guiding Light" (like JOURNEY and CHANNEL). "It hasn't been easy" is just a nice rocker, but the following two songs are again quite sensational. First there's the good semi melodic rock ballad "Tears of Joy" (with some bluesy influences). And then there's the fantastic AOR ballad "One Night is Not Enough", and with the right promotion — an instant hit for any chart worldwide! "Steady Weapon" follows and is a good semi melodic rocker. The CD closes with the acoustic version of the first track "Remembering You". Concluded I can only advise you to buy this CD a.s.a.p. as it smells like a high quality AOR record. It's a bit different than JOSHUA, but still very AORish, check it out for yourself! Rating: 8.5/10 Frank Stover - Take It Magazine Surrender / Something To Say (M&K Sound Entertainment) A great song remains a great song. That also goes for the re-recorded JOSHUA ballad 'Remembering You', which opens (and closes) the man's comeback album "Something To Say", his first musical sign of life ever since 1995's M-PIRE release. The track originally appeared on the excellent and nowadays pretty much sought after "Intense Defense" album from 1988. Back then power vocalist Rob Rock was still in the band, today former SANTANA man Alex Ligertwood enriches Perahia's new version with his excellent voice. But Ligertwood is only one of the vocalists to be heard on the twelve featured tracks. CHICAGO's Jason Sheff and the actual frontman Jerry Gabriel joined forces as well so that the very well produced offering (Keith Olsen) became a nicely balanced mixture of emotional soulful songs, bluesy elements, straight ahead rock and AOR. This combination works out completely well and impressed me quite a lot. Unlike many AOR fans, I've never been a big fan of JOSHUA's old AOR / melodic rock material (the incredible "Intense Defense" album is an exception to the rule here…), so I won't complain about those new elements in the songwriting. It's actually more vice versa. Compared to the re-released "Surrender" album, which I personally consider as kinda average, "Something To Say" is exciting, relaxed, but also very energetic at the same time. From a lot of very good ballad type songs to typical AOR tunes ("Precious Love" is THE perfect example here), West Coast compositions ('The First And The Last') to heavy WHITESNAKE / (early) GOTTHARD material (just listen to "Let Your Love Shine Down") you'll get the whole musical spectrum combined onto one disk. So, all in all this is a very promising comeback, worth to be checked out (even though it's strange to see an old buddy from my hometown playing bass...). And in case you feel the need to complete your collection afterwards, "The Hand Is Quicker Than The Eye", "Chapter One" and (as already mentioned) "Surrender" have all been re-released as well. Serge De Rous - The Rock Report Many of you might remember Joshua Perahia for his mid 80's "Surrender" release that is now considered one of time's better guitar driven albums. From his first ever release, a 6-track mini album, it was clear that Joshua knew his way around a guitar, but when 1988's "Intense Defense", the follow-up to "Surrender", failed to reach the same level of success things went silent on the Joshua Perahia front. It took 7 years before the silence was broken with the release of "Chapter One" from his new band Mpire. It was obvious that Joshua was trying to recapture some of his past glory with the Mpire album, but when it failed to make any lasting impression on melodic rock fans worldwide, he once again vanished without a trace. But now he makes his return to the spotlight with "Something To Say", a fine AOR/melodic rock album that will get thumbs up from any fan of the genre. Joining Joshua on this release are former Mpire members Joey Rochrich (bass) and Eric Stoskopf (drums) and new kid in town Jerry Gabriel on vocals. Jerry takes care of business on 8 of the 12 tracks on offer, while guest vocalist Alex Ligertwood is featured on the remaining 4. Although both gentlemen have very different voices, they perfectly fit the AOR/melodic rock that is included here. Drummer Mugs Cain (brother of Jonathan Cain) and bass player Jason Scheff (Chicago) are 2 more guest musicians that make an appearance on the album while the well-known Keith Olsen (Foreigner, Night Ranger, Sammy Hagar, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake) mixed the whole affair. The end result is a very slick sounding disc and a fine return to action from Mr Joshua Perahia. Wayne Klingere - BallBuster Hard Rock Magazine Okay....the sixth release? I wonder where I was during the others? Never fails to find a band that just sneaks by you over a period of time! Joshua Perahia has been around quite some time with his other bands Jaguar, which I've heard of and another one just called Joshua, which had some success in the early 90's. The band itself is an AOR/Melodic Rock style which is definately 80's; you hear the Whitesnake/Firehouse kind of ballads and songstyles but Joshua plays one bitchin' guitar! I was truly hooked on the leads but this 12-track CD has other goodies to offer like a new vocalist, Jerry Gabriel (ex-Wasted Angel,Tower and Fortune), guest musicians, Alex Ligertwood and Richard Baker from Santana and seasoned producer, Keith Olsen, noted for his works with the Scorpions, Fleetwood Mac, and again, Santana. The other members of the band also have distinctive backgrounds in the European circuit, so this isn't any "walk in the park" for listening. You may love or hate the 80's no matter how old you are but bands in this era musically were easier to identify than compared to now--HANDS DOWN! This style has been making a comeback for years and people need to take the time out and listen to real songwriting and guitar solos with emotion,and great vocals, and just not thrown-together material for an easy buck. JP shows all the elements of a hard-working band with results....and "something to say". Brian Coles - ElectricBasement.com online magazine JOSHUA PERAHIA is not only the name of the band, but also the name of its veteran guitarist and songwriter. He also led the band Jaguar in the early 90s. Joshua Periah, the band, is now resting on its sixth release, with many international Gold records under their belt. They are hard to dismiss with a production team that includes Keith Olsen (Whitesnake, Fleetwood Mac) and a strong AOR sound that recalls the tender side of the 80s melodic hard rock. Rarely barnstorming but always energetic in a lofty way, the disc is a series of drifting guitar atmospherics, caressing riffs and spot-on rugged vocals by Jerry Gabriel. Highlights include the epic title track, which bears more crunch than most of the others, along with "Precious Love" which recalls the Police's "Every Breath" in its pulsating bass line, though in the end, a totally different vibe. "Let Your Love Shine" down literally is a sunshiny track, making the most of your capacities for carefree rock 'n' roll melody. "It Hasn't Been Easy" is a nice corker, taking the Whitesnake-ish route and giving the album enough punch to warrant a couple cross overs genre-wise. Because the disc is so expansive and layered, it will take many listeners time to distinguish the carry of some hooks over others. This is not one that will meet you half way. You have to go get it and wrestle it down, taking the time to stare it in the eyes and understand it. Its a grower! Score: 3.5 / 5 K. Morg - The World of Heavy Metal online magazine Joshua (now Joshua Perahia) returns in 2001, not only re-releasing most of their back catalogue, but also with a new album. And another great album it is. In my opinion even better than their previous (when they were called M-Pire). Mr. Perahia really knows how to write excellent melodic hard rock. Beautiful songs, that stand the test of time. I can't really see the reason why he re-recorded "Remembering You" twice for this record, other than it's an awesome ballad, though. The original version on "Intense Defense" is way better than both versions on this one. The lyrics on STS is more about Joshua's beliefs that on any of his previous albums. I truly love this album, as it has grown to be one of my favorites by this band (together with "Intense Defense"). Killer tracks: Something To Say, Precious Love, Guiding Light Norman A. Lima - Christian Rock Brazil Magazine Faz tanto tempo que não ouço algo assim, com tanto sentimentos! Eu já ouvi falar muito sobre o Joshua e a primeira vez que ouvi sua música, foi quando comprei uma coletânea, de metal cristão chamada, Righteous Metal II. Que tinha a música "Crying Out For Love", que pra minha surpresa, era o talentoso Rob Rock que cantava essa música. Quando recebi esse CD (Something To Say), fiquei meio pensativo... Primeiro analisando, o fato de uma grande banda como Joshua Perahia, mandar uma cópia de seu trabalho para ser comentado nesse humilde E-zine... Pra quem ainda não tem uma definição correta, do que é hard rock, eis aqui seu melhor exemplo, melodicamente! Jerry é um excelente vocalista e sabemos que técnica não significa tudo e portanto, ele aprendeu muito bem como fazer com que suas músicas dêem aquela mexidinha no coração. ( Preste atenção em letras, como I Can Feel Again, Precious Love). Joshua Perahia, é autentico em seus solos ultraviajantes, deixando o lado de virtuosismo e dando lugar a partes mais emocionantes, que é manter a melodia. Só espero que ainda me restem tempo pra compra todos os álbuns que o Joshua Perahia, já lançou. Eu tinha em meu coração fazer uma review mais apurada desse álbum, por ele ter se tornado um de meus favoritos, mas agora I don't have something more to say.E se você ama mesmo música, então meu amigo, é mais que uma obrigação,ter algo asssim em sua coleção... Veja mais detalhes sobre a banda em sua homepage: www.joshuaperahia.com Guitarist Joshua Perahia quit his studies in pre-med at UCLA in the late seventies in order to pursue a full time career in music. Joining forces with his brother Leon, he formed the first incarnation of Joshua and in 1982 released the bands full length debut The Hand is Quick Than The Eye on Enigma Records. As Joshua was about to get a deal on Gold Mountain/A&M Records in 1983, Perahia became a Christian, and upon advising the band about his new faith, all its members either quit or were let go. Perahia subsequently created a new version of Joshua that included future Shout members Ken Tamplin, Loren Robinson and Jo Galletta. With vocalist Jeff Fenholt rounding out its line up, the band recorded its 1986 release Surrender on Polydor Records. Joshua got its break during the Surrender tour of Europe when Perahia set up a meeting with hit producer Dieter Dierks. Dierks arranged for Joshua to spend time in his own studio, and after recording nine songs in only one week, he put together a contract which led to the band signing to RCA six months later. Before Joshua could begin recording, however, the band had to wait two years for the Scorpions to get out of the studio. During this period all the members from the Surrender era left which forced Perahia to form the line up that went on to record its 1988 RCA debut Intense Defense. The band spent an entire year in Germany recording Intense Defense with a budget eventually reaching one million marks (roughly $700,000). Nevertheless, the album was well worth the time and expense in that it showcases a refined and crystal clear sounding production job. A more than adequate amount of rhythm guitar is placed upfront in a clean mix of lead guitar and keyboards. While the drum sound is tight and solid, the bass could have been mixed a bit more prominently. The keyboards opening "Reach Up" give way to pounding drums and a crisp rhythm guitar blended with a bit of lead guitar. After the rhythm guitar takes a backseat in the mix as the song reaches its first verse, it returns to a place of prominence to drive a catchy chorus backed by vocal harmonies. Perahia adds to the energetic atmosphere with a blistering guitar solo. "I've Been Waiting" moves Intense Defense in a commercial flavored melodic hard rock direction. An edgy rhythm guitar evenly propels the song at a laid back mid-tempo pace until it segues to a strong background vocal driven chorus. As "I've Been Waiting" peaks, it stops dead in its tracks for thirty seconds of the albums best neo-classical influenced lead guitar work. "Only Yesterday" begins to an exquisite blend of rhythm guitar and keyboards that transitions to several seconds of lead guitar. Proceeding through its first verse in a steady guitar driven fashion, the song culminates for a chorus highlighted by Rock's pristine vocal delivery. A guitar solo with a symphonic feel opens an instrumental section ending to a heavy duty guitar riff. The melodic rock of "Crying Out For Love" does not stand out in the same noteworthy manner as the albums better material. A restrained mix of rhythm guitar slowly carries the song forward until it moves on to a good commercial flavored chorus. I wish the band had expanded upon an instrumental passage limited to several brief seconds of lead guitar. The hard rocking "Living On The Edge" is by far the albums heaviest track. Carried through its first verse by an upfront mix of crunchy rhythm guitar, "Living On The Edge" immaculately flows to a smooth sounding chorus delivered at an upbeat tempo. Perahia's lead guitar work starts in an aggressive and fast paced manner before transitioning to a more melodic style of playing. The keyboards introducing "Tearing At My Heart" give way to a combination of rhythm guitar and narration: When all the dreams pass away, and fall in despair As the song gains momentum, an edgy rhythm guitar moves to the front of the mix and quickly takes it to an anthem-like chorus with an ethereal feel. Perahia tops "Tearing At My Heart" off with a guitar solo that, while very well done, is a bit on the short side. After keyboards convey the semi-ballad "Remembering You" through its first verse, a near perfect amalgamation of rhythm guitar and keyboards slowly drives it to a strong emotionally charged chorus. Perahia takes center stage with his melodic flavored lead guitar work. Commencing to several seconds of tight sounding guitar harmony, "Look To The Sky" tapers off to an upfront mix of crisp rhythm guitar that impels it to a chorus backed by operatic vocal harmonies. Thirty seconds of pull-out-all-of-the-stops lead guitar work helps put the song over the top. Slowing fading in to a keyboard solo, "Stand Alone" gradually picks up pace during its first verse until the rhythm guitar kicks in and smoothly pushes it to a superlative vocal harmony driven chorus. Perahia's neo-classical influenced guitar solo helps place the song among the albums stronger tracks. "Stand Alone" deals with persevering in the face of aloneness: Feeling the pressure that surrounds you Hearing Your voice as You open the door Arguably Joshua's best disc, although some would say that honor goes to "Surrender." "Intense Defense" features the extraordinary vocals of one of my favorite singers, Rob Rock. Anything the man has put his name on has been awesome. "Intense Defense" is no exception. Each and every song is captivating, melodic and well played. Of course Joshua Perahia's guitar solos are fantastic as well, but what really makes this disc stand out above the others, in my opinion, are the vocals and the vocal melodies. Rob is without a doubt the king of melodic metal! Unfortunately this disc was only released in Europe and Japan. In Japan the album yielded several hit singles, including the power ballad "Remembering You", which Joshua Perahia would rerecord on his 2001 release. "Stand Alone" is another stand out cut. Perhaps it's because it is the last song on the CD, but whenever I listenn to this disc, I always have that song stuck in my head for a long time afterwards. This album was produced by Eddie Kramer, who has produced for Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix, along with Dieter Dierks, who has produced albums for bands like Accept, Scorpions and Twisted Sister. I could have kicked myself for selling off my original RCA version years ago. Although I liked it back then, at the time I was so caught up in the heavier thrash and death metal scene that this disc was just collecting dust. Had I known how rare this disc would become, I never would have parted with it. Joshua Perahia obtained the rights to all his other albums except this one, so a re-issue did not happened as it did for all the other Joshua CDs in 2001. Finally in 2003 Night & Day Records in Germany re-release this disc. Comparing it to my CDR copy the mastering is very similar, but the new re-release sounds just a tad bit bassier, whereas the CDR is slightly brighter. Not a big deal at all. I am just glad to finally get a real copy of this classic. Firestream Out of the ashes of the legendary DRIVER outfit guitar hero Joshua Perahia recruited his strongest line-up ever seeing such top notch musicians like Rob Rock, Greg Shultz, Emil Lech and Tim Gehrt on the bill. With the addition of producer Dieter Dierks (Scorpions) this line-up recorded one of the finest mixtures of the commercial 80s metal with the classic 80s AOR sound. Perfectly balanced between Joshua's phenomenal guitar work and Greg Shultz's stabbing keys the thriumphant vocals from Rob Rock are the icing on the cake tracks like 'Stand Alone' , 'Reach Up', 'Living On The Edge' , 'Only Yesterday', 'I've Been Waiting' or 'Crying Out For Love' are simply amazing and essential for AOR and hard rock lovers !!!!! The Salvation Army Benefit Concert 2001 Last month, I traveled to Santa Ana to the Galaxy Theatre to catch a great show. On this special night I would be treated to the awesome sounds of Joshua Perahia performing in concert with numerous special guests as a benefit for the Salvation Army. Also on hand were Diana DeVille and Junkman from the mighty KNAC.COM. I had never been to the Galaxy before, and that was my first pleasant surprise... This is a great old-time theatre with an awesome stage and sound system. The room is huge with a large floor in front of the stage so all you headbangers have plenty of room to surround the stage and dance. The main floor is surrounded by tiered landings, covered with tables and chairs for great viewing of the stage, and dining as well. It turned out that I missed the opening act S.Q.S. who had just finished as I arrived. As I learned the set times for the remainder of the bands, I was introduced to Steve Brownlee, Artist Relations Manager for M&K Sound Entertainment, the sponsor of the benefit. Steve quickly ushered me backstage and upstairs to meet the infamous "Joshua." We walked into the room to find Joshua sitting at a table playing his guitar and rehearsing the harmony vocal parts with a choir of young people who would later join him and his band on stage. They sounded heavenly. He shook my hand and said "hello," but he was too busy rehearsing for the show to really talk much, so I headed back downstairs just in time to catch the next act. Heavy rockers Silent Rage had an ulterior motive in playing the evening's event -- they performed in celebration of their recent re-signing and re-releases of their first 2 CDs on Z Records. They played some of their top hits, as well as some new material which will be featured on their new CD to be released next spring. They rocked the house with songs like "Unchained," "Whiskey Woman" and "Rebel With a Cause." Julian from Julian's Hot Spot was in the crowd, along with the Hot Spot entourage to catch the Silent Rage set, and these guys know how to party. After a short change over, Joshua and band took the stage. These guys were so tight I could not believe that I had never seen or heard of them before. Joshua's line up consists of Joshua Perahia (lead guitar); Jerry Gabriel (lead vocals); Joey Rochrich (bass guitar); Eric Stoskoff (drums) and Phillip Wolfe (keyboards). Taking the audience by storm, they didn't hold back one bit, and did I say these guys were incredibly tight? Truly seasoned musicians, with a cause, nonetheless… delivering their message of living life with God in your sight and love in your heart. Their music is pretty much traditional hard rock style of the '80s, but being an '80s rocker myself, it was quite alright with me. Showcasing songs from their latest release titled Something To Say, Joshua gave a stammering performance with songs such as "Remembering You," "The First and the Last," and "Let Your Love Shine Down," as well as many hits from their previous recordings. All of the Joshua CD's have been re-released through M & K Sound, and they were nice enough to give me copies of all of them. During the set, Joshua brought out the choir to join him on stage and they sounded absolutely incredible. I think it was just the right touch to include them in the performance. The music was solid, the songs inspiring and the vocals and lyrics delivered by Gabriel mesmerized the audience. Each tune is very well written and each member of the band is a true talent. The night was given an added bonus when Joshua began to bring out his guest artists one by one to the stage. First to join in was guitarist Neil Grusky from the band Takara. Adding his expert licks to the mix he immediately caught the audience's attention. I'm personally not familiar with the band Takara, but after hearing Neil play I will definitely be checking them out. This stuff is really good. Next we had Paul Shortino, Ex-Rough Cutt vocalist, come on stage to sing a blues-y type number, although it sounded great I think he got mixed up on the lyrics at one point and decided to throw caution aside, and began to improvise. Believe it or not, this is when things really got hot. For a second there, I thought he was going to pull me up on stage to join in, but then they finished with a duet with Paul and Joshua hanging off each other's notes they blended their sounds together, voice and guitar, to climax at the end. But wait, the fun was just beginning. Next Jeff Fenholt, a former member of Joshua and Black Sabbath and host of his own show on TBN, came up to sing a couple more tunes with Joshua and the band. Now this guy is a powerhouse singer as well and really livened things up. Shame on me because I don't even remember what songs they were, only that it was really damn good. As if things weren't already pushed into high gear, Don Dokken came out next and was joined by new Dokken bassist Barry Sparks (Yngwie Malmsteem and Michael Schenker Group). Now we had the whole crew on stage…. Don, Barry, Neil, and the whole Joshua Perahia band. They started with "In My Dreams" and the crowd went wild. Next they played "Breaking the Chains" and the crowd went even more ballistic. This was really getting good…slowing things down a bit, Don sat down and played "Alone Again" on acoustic guitar. After that the entire crew started into an all-star jam and played a few more of Joshua's tunes. It was great. Music is a message that is truly universal… We should all live in the light and give to each other. And so it is
Con's: Guitar is not as 'in your face' as I would have liked; many of the songs don't stick in the memory banks...
Score: 8.1
Joshua - they released the very sought after 'Intense Defense' album many years ago. And the musical style is quite different today, but much more matured, too. It's hard to describe, but it creates the kind of vibe, the WorldStage album by Jim Peterik did to me as well as the first AOR (Note - these are not similar bands). High quality songs, very well produced. This is one of the items people will watch out for quite a time, I think.
Rating: 80
I recently bought a copy of this CD from Buccaneer Records. My God! You have under-estimated this album! David Coverdale should listen to this opus and see how it's really done. And the guitar parts are friggin' unreal! Rating:100 Best AOR (best over ALL) in 2001! Everybody needs this puppy!
Rating : 100
Joshua released three classic albums in the eighties and although most people like his first two albums most, I especially love Intense defense because it mixed fantastic songs with Rob Rock's vocals and the always impressive guitar playing by the maestro himself . In my opinion this is a very underrated record because it's definitely one of the all-time classics. So you can imagine I was waiting with much anticipation when I ordered a copy of the new album with AOR Heaven. At first I was a little disappointed when I heard it but after five spins it has grown allot on me. It's just far more softer than his previous releases, because Joshua now plays pure AOR with some bluesy touches. I don't think it will end up in my top 10 of 2001 but with "Precious love" he has definitely released one of the best songs of the year.
Rating: 85
(January 2002)
"Intense Defense" Reviews
Angelic Warlord Webzine
Joshua plays eighties influenced commercial metal characterized by melodic based songwriting backed by the bands polished vocal harmonies and first-rate musicianship. Perahia is a wonderful talent, combining elements of speed and melody with his neo-classical influenced style of playing. After the band returned from Europe following the Surrender tour, Rob Rock (Project Driver) was hired to fill the lead vocalist position. The renowned Rock, who has also worked with the likes of Impellitteri and Warrior in addition to recording three solo albums, brings out the best in the bands sound with his powerful and smooth sounding vocal delivery. The tight drumming of Tim Gehrt joins with Emil Lech's steady bass lines to comprise a rock solid rhythm section. Keyboardist Greg Schultz accents the bands sound without overriding the instrumentation.
When all the hope seems to fade, you'll still be there
The vocal harmonies at the start of "Don't You Know" transition to several seconds of tight rhythm guitar harmony, the song maintaining an upbeat tempo as it advances on a chorus driven in a hard hitting manner by pounding drums. Subsequent to Perahia's fiery guitar solo, "Don't You Know" slows to a piano until it picks up in pace and closes by continually repeating its chorus.
Good friends are seldom, often few
And now, taking on a higher change
Reaching for the final stage
I've got you on my side
And now You're telling me
Stand alone
Sparing my life as I run through the rage of the storm
Joshua Perahia & Special Guests Live 
By Sami Lea, Contributor / KNAC.com
Wednesday, March 20, 2002