Since leaving Black Star Riders, Damon Johnson (ex-Alice Cooper, Brother Cane) has focused on his solo career, with his new album Battle Lessons (Double Dragon Records, Straight 8 Entertainment) with The Get Ready his second solo album in three years. Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Mastodon) and joined by drummer Jarred Pope (Tom Keifer) and bassist Robbie Harrington (Steve Vai), Battle Lessons is a hook-filled slab of melodic Hard Rock. 

The barnstorming title track with its big, Glam Metal-like guitar leads showcases the records Classic Rock influences but paired with a modern production polish. ‘Lightning Bolt’ is a firecracker just itching for an audience, with a restless AC/DC-esque riff and a sweet solo straight from the Guns N Roses playbook. Damon’s previous band Black Star Riders get a look in with ‘Brace For Impact’, a taut rocker with a Thin Lizzy style guitar chug and an arena-sized chorus. Battle Lessons is at its best when blasting out good time rock n roll, with the irresistible earworm ‘, Can’t Clap Any Louder’ the happiest example. 

Like 2019s Memoirs of an Uprising there is some diversity mixed in, the metallic ‘Shadow Country’ has a brooding, Alt Rock vibe and adds a nice texture and balance. The acoustic ‘Love Is All You Left Behind’ is the obligatory ballad that swells at the right moment.  It does not always work, as the dark ‘Let The Healing Begin’ has a lumbering melody and plodding pace. The ominous ‘Casual Beast’ ends an album, which clocks in at a brief 33 minutes, on a defiant if slightly forgettable note.

Given Damon Johnson’s C.V.,  Battle Lessons is exactly the kind of accomplished Hard Rock you expect – amped up, riff propelled, and melodious.

Buy the album here: http://damonjohnson.com

7 / 10 

THOMAS THROWER