recommended from ViriAOR

Spanish site ViriAOR have done a great piece on our album. The original is in Spanish, so here the translation. Thank you Alicia!

Chinawhite are back this summer of 2018 with their fourth album titled, Different. For those of you who do not know, tell you that, Chinawhite was formed at the end of the eighties. With a strong core consisting of Rolf Vossen, keyboards, Hans In ‘T Zandt on drums and Peter Cox on guitars, they recorded some loose songs and incorporated some singles to compilations of the time, all these themes would later come to light in a Demos album. In 1997 they would release their first album, as such, A Dragon’s Birth, and two more in the 2000s, making a classic rock with symphonic arrangements and some passages of progressive rock.

For this fourth album, he also has bassist Sander Stappers, who would put his rhythms on the previous album Challenges and the recent incorporation of the singer Phil Vincent, (D’Ercole, Tragic, Legion) that for my taste exceeds to its predecessor with overkill.

Different is an album composed in its entirety by the band leader Peter Cox, guitarist and keyboardist, composer and lyricist as well as producer of the album. The cover is very cool and is designed by Blekkmark, who has already done countless works for artists of this style (Harem Scarem, Europe, Def Leppard, TNT, …)
This disc is developed in records similar to those of previous works, although in Different there is a twist to its sound resulting in more commercial issues, more accessible to audiences and making less concessions to progressive rock, that does not deprive it of its sophisticated part in terms of arrangements themes and some passages of irregular rhythms.

The throat of the new vocalist gives more body and power to the themes, the orchestral and keyboard arrangements on this occasion are also by the guitarist Peter Cox, although in some songs the old keyboardist Rolf Vossen participates.

We find pieces of traditional hard rock with voices superimposed like in the opening, Kiss of Fire. Scratching the metal with a more serious record by Phil Vincent, who throughout the album will demonstrate how versatile it is. Where I Stand, giving them a touch of softness with pompous choirs. A nice guitar melody is the hook on the whole theme, and symphonic choruses sweeten this Hello To The World.

Money, brings us back to hard rock with guitars and careful vocal harmonies. Different? Eat It Raw, more orchestral beginning to later take us through the classic metal courses. Wings Of The Wind, a mix of powerful riffs, for a cut that rounds the progressive. Mystery, an orgy of instruments superimposing one another creating an overflowing atmosphere of sonic elements. Light-Years To Heaven, more leisurely, but without sacrificing the strength that bring those thunderous riffs of Peter Cox.

Or The Same! A good instrumental exercise, based on the strength of the bass and the guitar, with an interesting melody. It Means Nothing heavy rhythmic base and a dirtier sound for a theme that can look fantastic live. Thank You And Goodnight starts with a piano to give way to all the instruments and immediately give the protagonism to the guitar melodies.

Concluding with Different, Chinawhite have gone a step further by overcoming their previous works, successfully assembling the different classical musical influences, but sounding heavier and more current.

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