Artist: HARDLINE
Album: LEAVING THE END OPEN (CD)

Release date: 2009
Media type: CD

Hardline was formed when brothers Johnny (vocals) and Joey (guitar) Gioeli, originally from the band Brunette, teamed up with Journey/Bad English guitarist Neal Schon. The original plan was for Neal to produce Hardline, but as he was having so much fun that he decided to join the band as soon as he left Bad English for the tensions that arose with John Waite.

They immediately added established musicians Todd Jensen (David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper) on bass and Deen Castronovo (also coming from Bad English) on drums to the mix and the result was magnificent. They went on to record their debut album “Double Eclipse” for MCA in 1992 and then went on the tour circuit with such heavy hitters as Van Halen and Mr. Big.

The first single from “Double Eclipse” was the song "Hot Cherie". While never popular in the mainstream, various radio stations worldwide started to play it and Hardline's fanbase started to grow. They released a video to MTV, but did not get much airplay. By that time grunge and alternative had already taken over and melodic rock was being pushed aside. Tension among band members, the record company and perhaps certain egos, got in the way of an immediate follow-up album, despite the band having written more than enough material. While Neal re-started his adventure with Journey in 1995 (again together with Deen Castronovo), Johnny stepped out of the music business eventually to return as Axel Rudi Pell’s singer in 1998 on the album “Oceans Of Time”.

But years later Johnny and his brother Joey were ready to give it another go with Hardline after the call of Frontiers Records, and with an all new line-up they produced the awesome return album “II” in 2002 with Josh Ramos (of The Storm and Two Fires fame) taking Neal Schon’s place on lead guitar.

Hailed by critics and fans alike as a top return, the band returned on stage headlining the GODS Festival in Bradford in June 2002 before Johnny and Josh started to work on new songs in 2006. With a renewed line-up now featuring Johnny Gioeli on vocals and Josh Ramos on all guitars, with Michael T. Ross on keyboards, Jamie Brown on bass and Atma Anur on drums, Hardline are now back from where they have left off with a killer new album chock full of killer guitar riffs, amazing hooklines and heartfelt ballad sealed with Gioeli’s incredible vocals and the band’s instrumental prowess.

TRACKLIST:

01. Voices
02. Falling Free
03. Start Again
04. Pieces Of Puzzles
05. Bittersweet
06. She Sleeps In Madness
07. In This Moment
08. Give In To This Love
09. Before This
10. Hole In My Head
11. Leaving The End Open

LINE-UP:

Johnny Gioeli - vocals
Josh Ramos – guitars
Michael T. Ross – keyboards
Jamie Brown - bass
Atma Anur - drums