Reviewed by Andy Barnes

I don't like obituaries, but following the split of Eddie and Dana, it looks like I'm going to have to write one. Their career together stretches back over 15 years, during which time they've served up a consistent diet of polished bluesy AOR. With this release they have left us with a quite splendid parting shot. If anything, 'To Extremes' finds D&K dredging way back into their early Lamb & Lion label releases, in that the sound is much more raw and live than their later albums. Dana Key's guitar hits harder than ever before, with some quite memorable, blues-soaked soloing. Eddie DeGarmo's keyboard contributions certainly seem to have been pushed into the background, as this is, essentially, a guitar led album. As ever, though, the sheer quality of the songs matches the excellence of the musicianship, I immediately fell for the groove-filled "Hangin' By A Scarlet Thread", the punchy, all out rock attack of "Judgement Day" and the heavy, almost metal, of "Dangerous Place", but in all honesty, only the rather quirky "Hyper-faith" had me hitting the skip button. D&K have never been ones to hide their Christianity in double-meaning lyrics and they've- again gone straight for the jugular. A non-Christian friend of mine said that 'To Extremes' was "Evangelism with a great soundtrack" and that pretty much hits the nail on the head! For lovers of qualify hard rock, 'To Extremes' should be at the very top of your shopping list. Thanks for the last 15 years guys, keep in touch!

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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