High Spirits is a Chicago-based band that is one of the many creations of multi-talented musician “Professor” Chris Black. Black’s musical range extends from the ultra-fast black metal of Dawnbringer to the experimental prog rock of Aktor. High Spirits is his most high-profile creation and the easiest one to get into. The band has tapped into that magical period of the late 70s to early 80s when hard rock was transforming into tuneful heavy metal.

Hard to Stop demonstrates this pretty well, with some songs being the heaviest and most aggressive the band has ever done and others being almost straight American rock n’ roll. As always, it’s a smooth listen, well-performed and produced. The amount of classically themed heavy metal is exploding these days and High Spirits deserves to be at the forefront of this movement.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2020  Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2020.

No, this is not a remake of the Head East hit (technically speaking that was titled "Since You Been Gone," and was written and originally performed by Russ Ballard. Head East's cover was a hit, but Rainbow's version charted higher in the UK - ed.), but an original High Spirits track. This comes in with a strong arpeggio over heavy riffs and then speeds up to a fast sprint. Prof. Black’s clean multi-tracked vocals are smooth and easy to listen to. The chorus has the catchiness of a 70s AOR radio hit. It’s pretty much a perfect mix of metal and melodic rock.