Alcatrazz - V
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On October 15, 2021, "Alcatrazz" released "V", their fifth studio album and their first with vocalist Doogie White.
Just a year and three months after "Born Innocent" ended a 34-year gap between studio albums, the band returned with renewed appetite. V denotes their fifth album and also invokes victory. After a long-awaited comeback followed by an acrimonious split, delivering another cohesive record was an achievement in itself. Musically, this is melodic heavy metal that connects the neo-classical guitar tradition of the 1980s with a heavier, more forceful sound.
"Alcatrazz" was formed in 1983, and knew how to combine a mix of heavy metal melodies performed by guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen and later Steve Vai. That same year the band released their debut album "No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll", which featured the hit "Island in the Sun". The band continued to build popularity with the album "Disturbing the Peace" which was released in 1985 and included the hit "God Blessed Video". After the third album "Dangerous Games" from 1986, the band ceased to exist and for 34 years did not release any new material.
As you may recall, the trigger for the release of the comeback album "Born Innocent" in 2020 were three reunion shows of the band, which were held in 2017 in Japan. The performances were recorded on the live album / DVD called - "Parole Denied - Tokyo 2017". The reactions the band received pushed the members to write new material.
The album "Born Innocent" featured a reunion of the legendary singer Graham Bonnet with the two original members of the band, keyboardist Jimmy Waldo and bassist Gary Shea, with guitarist Joe Stump, known from the bands "Trash Broadway" and "Reign of Terror" and Mark Benquechea on drums.
The reunion did not last. In December 2020, the split between Bonnet and the remaining musicians became public amid a disagreement over management. Bonnet announced that he would continue using the "Alcatrazz" name with other players, while Waldo, Shea, Stump and Benquechea continued with White. That makes "V" a fresh start as well: a lineup having to demonstrate that its chemistry could survive without the voice associated with the band from its earliest days.
White was a natural choice: another former "Rainbow" singer, he had also worked with Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Schenker. That experience lets him inhabit the musical language of the band without imitating Bonnet. The grit and drama in his delivery give the riffs weight, while his melodies remain accessible even when the guitar becomes dense and fast.
Jimmy Waldo and Giles Lavery produced the album, with Andy Haller handling mixing and mastering. Guests include Nigel Glockler of "Saxon", who plays drums on "Guardian Angel" and "Blackheart". The production foregrounds the attack of the guitar and the presence of the vocal, with keyboards adding colour and depth to the heavy sound.
Opener "Guardian Angel" immediately raises the stakes with harmonised neo-classical guitars, rapid drumming and a vocal that attacks the high notes without hesitation. Its inspiration is unexpectedly poignant: the story of a stage actress unable to perform again, which White connected with the plight of musicians and venues during the pandemic. That context gives the explosive energy a sense of accumulated frustration finding release.
Released in June 2021, "Turn of the Wheel" was the first song written through the collaboration with White. Its driving riff, melodic chorus and generous space for the guitar capture the balance of the album: virtuoso playing in service of a song that remains memorable after the solo ends. White sounds assured within that intensity, giving the music a character of his own.
July brought "Sword of Deliverance", a shorter, more concentrated track built around a sharp riff and a chorus that feels destined for the stage. It is one of the most convincing examples of the partnership between Stump and White: the guitar drives the music forward, while the vocal gives that momentum a clear melodic centre. Heard as part of the finished album, it remains one of its strongest calling cards.
"Grace of God", released as a single in October 2021, gives the epic scale of the album a human dimension. White wrote about the fear of a person sent to war in the Middle Ages, ordered to invade an unfamiliar land and fight people against whom he has no personal grievance. The dramatic vocal and the interplay between guitar and keyboards sharpen the tension between martial grandeur and individual helplessness. The influence of Ritchie Blackmore is especially apparent in Stump’s solo.
Ultimately, "V" convinces through the connection between White’s personality and Stump’s playing. Its roots in the 1970s and 1980s are unmistakable, and that familiar vocabulary sometimes limits the element of surprise. But when the riff and chorus connect, the music is hard to resist. For us, this is a record that earns the band’s continued existence through songs, musicianship and enthusiasm that comes through the speakers.
Song List:
Guardian Angel
Nightwatch
Sword Of Deliverance
Turn Of The Wheel
Blackheart
Grace Of God
Return To Nevermore
Target
Maybe Tomorrow
House Of Lies
Alice’s Eyes
Dark Day For My Soul
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