“As good as Led Zeppelin” and “10 times Van Halen” are tough statements to live up to in the world of rock, but that’s exactly what fans are expecting from Chickenfoot, a brand new supergroup comprised of Sammy Hagar of Van Halen and solo fame, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, and former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony. Last summer, the bar for this band was set high when Sammy Hagar went on the record with those statements, and this week fans are getting a little taste of what is to come now that two tracks from the upcoming album are available for listening at www.chickenfoot.us. “Soap on a Rope” and “Down the Drain” are both very solid works with crunchy guitars and gritty vocals that remind the listener of the best elements of Montrose and Van Halen.
It is very exciting to hear once again the vocal harmonies of Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar, and Satriani’s guitar work is an amazing complement to that sound. Upon release of the album later this spring, the band is gearing up for a full tour, so don’t forget to check back for dates.
There are a couple other tours and albums to keep an eye on. Queensryche will release the concept album American Soldier on March 31. The track “If I Were King” is now available at the official website, and it sounds very promising. The band’s tour in support of the album begins on April 16 in their home city of Seattle and continues well into the summer.
Dennis DeYoung has recently discovered immense popularity and success in Canada with his new album 100 Years from Now, and he’s hoping some of that success will spill over when the album is released in the United States on April 14. The album sounds excellent and it may just be his best solo work yet. I will be reviewing it here on the site shortly, but for now you may want to give a listen to the interview Dennis gave to Bob Coburn of Rockline last week. Not only do the song samples played during the interview sound great, but DeYoung was full of one-liners during the show making it a very fun listen. Just go to www.rocklineradio.com, and click on “Rockline Replay” – the interview will be available for a few weeks.
Chickenfoot sounds pretty good!