Holy sh*t! I'm kind of speechless. This is about as close to having an out of body experience listening to a new band in probably 25 years for me. I can't recall ever witnessing, er.....listening to something truly remarkable that I connected with on a visceral way that could become huge and give the music landscape a much needed shot in the arm. After listening to The Winery Dogs Self-Titled debut and coming away with this euphoric feeling and questioning whether or not I just heard one of the best albums I've heard in years, I became very skeptical. There is no way in hell this album was as good as my first pass through this hour long album. So I immediately went right back into listening a second time around and it's even better than the first time.

I sh*t you not, this album is hair raising, goosebumps, boner-pill popping awesome. What's remarkable is that this is "just" a Trio comprising Drum God Mike Portnoy on Skins, 4-finger Virtuoso Billy Sheehan on Bass and Guitar God Richie Kotzen on the 6 String Axe. You would think that anyone going head to head with the likes of Billy and Mike would be knock-out in the first round. Well let me tell you straight up, the album begins and ends with Richie and not in the way you'd expect either. I've known him strictly as a axe slinger since the late 80's and only as a wizard of the fretboard. But listening to him on lead vocals here is a revelation for me and one that took me totally by surprised. This kid can flat out sing. He sounds very much like David Coverdale and the album as a whole sounds like the Whitesnake Album that never was.

I'm winding down my 3rd time around through the album non-stop and it's just blowing me away in a way that I never expected. The biggest question I have isn't so much about the album but in "where the f*ck has Richie been all these years, hiding that voice". If he had been singing the past 20 years, he could have made a huge, lasting legacy. Yes, that's some high praise and I mean every bit of that. As for the album itself, I've never been more hard pressed to pick a fave song. Right now I just can't seem to settle on one, or two, or five. Every song is unique and separates itself from the next one. There are a couple of "power ballads" that just kick so much ass and they don't sound like your typical power ballads from the 80's either. Maybe because here, the songs have some serious weight and balls to them.

Sound-wise, The Winery Dogs is pure classic Hard Rock and the songs are the main focus. I can hear a lot of different influences, the biggest of course being Led Zeppelin and Whitesnake. Not sure if this was intentional or not, but I love it. I also hear other influences that call to mind the 70's heyday. With 3 Gods in one band, the potential is there for each one to more or less step over each other to show off, which can come at the expense of the songs. But they each went out of their way to make sure that the songs themselves hold up on their own. Sure, you get your drum fills by Mike, your bass runs by Billy and tasty solos by Richie, but they all serve a purpose.

Amazing debut. Amazing album. Easily 10 Stars out of 10. I highly and I can't stress enough.....HIGHLY recommend this as a Buy. For me, this is easily the album to beat for 'Best Album Of The Year". I just can't see anything coming out and topping this one by the end of the year. It's just not gonna happen. I will post more later as I digest this more........