Flame / Blaze

Description

FLAME is a Hard Rock quintet from the Bay that released an self-produced album under the name BLAZE in 1989 titled Rockhill before being picked up by the major record label Warner.
Rockhill was raw and three years later, with the production of Bill Wray, the album was re-released with a cleaned-up production.
The band FLAME consisted of Phillip Andrew, Billy Harvey, Dennis Bostok, and Steve Smith. When listening to their self-titled debut album on the Giant label, the first thing that comes to mind is Led Zeppelin and Foreigner. They are clearly influenced by Led Zeppelin, especially in terms of guitar. However, what is modern in FLAME's sound is that the songs are not too aggressive and the vocal melodies are easy to listen to.
It may be the producer of this album who is to blame and his influence. Bill Wray is a producer based in New York. He worked on an album by Trixter, a New Jersey band that started in 1990 (this album received a gold record in the United States). He also worked on albums such as Scandal and is known as a producer who uses pop-rock sounds. He has released solo records including Seize The Moment which has just been reissued by Bad Reputation.
Led by Phillip Andrew, the quartet plays melodic rock with a touch of originality, throughout the fourteen songs of the album.... No gimmicks. No hype. No hairspray. No posing. A real rock and roll band - such is FLAME's policy.
Unfortunately, this was the only release from this East Bay group on the Giant label before being dropped. This is due to the fact that the grunge scene hit hard, launching their wave/style, and they were signed at the expense of hard rock/metal/glam "pretty boys makeup" metal. Billy Harvey returned as a solo artist in 1997. Steve Smith and Denis Bostock were approached by Jeff Keith (TESLA) for his own project which evolved into Sofa King and then was renamed BAR 7 in 2000, the band was signed in France by Axe Killer for a release in Europe.