While ALL I KNOW are recording new music, MelodicRock Classics is reissuing their acclaimed and long out of print debut album ‘Vanity Kills’, now presented in a Deluxe Edition CD, limited to 1000 units worldwide.
”Vanity Kills [Deluxe Edition]” sees all material from the debut album recordings sessions, including tracks used exclusively for promotional compilations, outtakes and demos – all wrapped up into one package.
‘Vanity Kills’ made a huge splash when released via MRR in 2010, with the 1000 unit pressing selling out quickly. All I Know’s sound sees them mix up the best influences of Bryan Adams, Van Stephenson, REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi, all with a modern approach.
The lead single “Rain” was remixed by legendary record producer Beau Hill. He offered to assist the band after hearing the album thanks to a copy he received from U.S. radio station KEGL. He said, “All I Know caught my attention with their excellent material, an unusual focus on arrangement details, and progressive melodic hooks… sounds like the recipe for a hit to me.” That’s a pretty solid endorsement!
Just who are ALL I KNOW?
What happens when 4 young guns go through their parents’ record collection? There are those with good luck and discover classic albums by Def Leppard, Billy Idol, Van Halen or Poison. Back in the Eighties these bands were all part of the hard rock wave coming over from the United States.
All I Know pick up where these classic bands left off. On their first full length album “Vanity Kills” they wear their influences on their sleeves. There’s real guitar-rock melodies, big drums and huge choruses.
All I Know, from Kortrijk, Belgium, have been playing and writing since 2005 and worked during that time on their debut album, which was pressed independently by the band in 2009 and sold online or at their live shows.
In early 2010 All I Know were selected out of 1000 bands for the final round of Belgium’s most important rock contest, Humo’s Rock Rally 2010, organized by one of Belgium’s biggest magazines, ‘Humo’. A huge percentage of all successful Belgian rock bands have made their name through this contest.
All I Know did not reach the semi-finals, because according to the jury, no one is waiting for the next Bon Jovi! But All I Know proud to be the only band representing the genre and is sticking to its guns.
Despite approaching a number of well-known labels, the band could not secure a deal for a wider release of their album. Finally it was released 2010 on the MRR label. Now it’s getting a reissue with 11 additional tracks.
The melodic catchy “Rain” is one of the standout tracks, as is the lead track “All Night Long”, “Turn Back Time”, “Into Your Heart” and “Sweet 17”.
“Rain” starts out with a guitar intro reminiscent of Poison’s “I Won’t Forget You” and then morphs into a Bonfire-like song. “All Night Long” is an up-tempo, cruising-down-the-road-with-the-top-down kind of song, with an incredibly catchy chorus. And, no, it is thankfully NOT a cover of Lionel Richie’s hit by the same name.
“Turn Back Time” gets back to more hard rocking sound. This one has a crunching guitar rhythm, good lead work and some faint keyboards for texture. Again, another catchy chorus is featured. This song is very fitting because this band seems to be turning back time with every track. And that’s a good thing.
“Into Your Heart” is another song about a special girl and is the most ‘80s sounding track on the record with a keyboard and guitar intro that would sound perfect on any Europe record or John Hughes movie. “Sweet 17” is a guitar-heavy love song about… well, you know. Singing about young 17 year old girls worked well for the Beatles, the Stray Cats and Winger and if enough people hear this song, it could work for All I Know too!
“Bad Boy” has a different vocal sound. This would sound great live and is, no doubt, a crowd-favorite when played in concert. “Asphyxia” is the first of several ballads on the album with a nice piano intro and the lyrics again deal with love, but this one deals with love gone wrong.
“I Need You” is a mid-tempo melodic rocker, catchy as most of the songs are but if you listen closely there’s a lot going on. Under the electric guitars, you can hear acoustic guitar, some keyboards and then there’s a great lead guitar solo in the middle. It’s a very accessible song that you will find yourself singing along with.
“Hope and Dreams” is a nice acoustic love ballad that again shows the band’s musical diversity. You can’t say that all of the songs sound the same but you can say that all of them are darn good. It’s a nice, peaceful way to wrap up this most impressive album.
This album is well-produced, the songs are well crafted with excellent musicianship and the stand-out features of this band are the big choruses and vocal harmonies. Sure, they sound like they could have been a huge success in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and that’s why we like it.
All I Know took a break for a few years, regrouping now with a renewed focus on delivering quality melodic rock and reaffirming their commitment to play live, having already booked new gigs for the year ahead, while record music for an upcoming new album.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
1. All Night Long (3:03)
2. Bad Boy (2:43)
3 Asphyxia (04:18)
4. Rain (2010 Beau Hill Remix) (3:56)
5. Turn Back Time (3:17)
6. I Need You (3:53)
7. Into Your Heart (3:06)
8. I Wanna Rock You (02:37)
9. Sweet 17 (3:13)
10 Teenage Queen (2:55)
11. All the Way (02:58)
12. Hope And Dreams (3:06)
13. Only You (Compilation Track) (2:22)
14. Consume Me (Compilation Track) (2:49)
15. Running Away (Compilation Track) (3:17)
16. My Time (2008 Outtake) (2:48)
17. All Night Long (Summer 2007 Demo) (3:05)
18. I Need You (Summer 2007 Demo) (3:55)
19. Sweet 17 (Summer 2007 Demo) (3:13)
20. Asphyxia (Summer 2007 Demo) (4:20)
21. Make Belief (June 2007 Demo) (3:02)
22. And Nothing But The Truth (June 2007 Demo) (2:54)
23. Rain (2008 Original Mix) (3:57)
Buy CD HERE
ALL I KNOW – Vanity Kills (Deluxe Edition) (CD Ltd Ed) 2022, 2 CD, MP3+FLAC
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