No, it isn’t a new Giuffria album, but “III“, the comeback record from U.S. rockers GASTEM. But yes, there’s a couple of songs recalling Giuffria, or better, Angel, that worth this album alone.
GASTEM emerged in the 1980s in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic hard rock scene, with a sound that packed clubs across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The band’s return offers fans both a nostalgic look back and something entirely new to celebrate.
To celebrate the band’s 40th Anniversary, Eonian Records is reissuing GASTEM‘s long out-of-print indie albums, Catch The Flame (1985) and Do It Like Wild (1986), in newly remixed and remastered editions. The reissues feature numerous previously unreleased bonus tracks and updated artwork.
After a decades-long hiatus, GASTEM reunited in early 2024 to record their first album in 34 years, titled “III”. Released in October 2024 and now distributed by Eonian, the CD received critical acclaim.
The project, however, was nearly abandoned before it began. As the band was preparing to reunite, tragedy struck as the original bassist Mark Emon passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Despite the loss, the surviving members, Rob Galpin, Craig Stegall, and longtime friend and bassist Mark Schenker, came together to honor Emon‘s memory.
Schenker, recently retired after a 23-year run with Platinum-selling rockers KIX, stepped in to contribute bass on the album, a role he embraced without hesitation.
The result was III, a record that not only captures GASTEM‘s signature hard rock spirit but also serves as a tribute to their late bandmate. More than three decades after their last release, GASTEM returned with a renewed sense of purpose, determined to finish what all four members had set out to create together.
GASTEM ”III” marked the official introduction of Eonian Records as the album’s distributor and the band’s label partner.
The record opens with the uncomplicated mid-Eighties hard rock style of So High… but then second track Did You See That Girl – ups the ante immediately with a superb slice of raw-edged melodic heft. This is fabulous stuff – and you can feel myself being sucked in…
Joe Ellen is next up and finds the band investigating their quirkier side via an almost Cheap Trickish vibe, a vibe that is extended by Come Back For Me, which maybe even throws in a Styx moment or two (or is it Larry Gowan… I find it hard to tell these days), with the whole thing given a satisfying get up and go thanks to some piston-legged drumming from Craig Stegall.
Kiss Me Like You Love Me, propelled by some nice bass from Mark Schenker is the first thing that could be labelled disappointing; it’s poppier, late seventies Top Forty Fayre that slightly dissipates the momentum the band has built up thus far. That said, good singin’ and good playin’ never really hurt anybody, so you can’t really complain that much, can ya?
Better still to press fast forward and get involved in Taking It All, with it’s ‘Tight but loose’ start that reminds these ears of Mr. Big but morphs quickly into another quirky slice of midwestern melodic oomph. And then hits a ‘big’ climax mid song… If you see what I mean.
Anyway follows, and it’s a delicious mix of the Seventies and Eighties that would have been a massive hit if it was written in 1978, with Cheap Trick again looming large in the front of the brain; intelligent harmonies, muscly melodies, choruses that go on for days – pick whichever of those phrases floats your boat and prepare to wallow…
Bigger yet is Bloodsucker – stadium rock intro, complete with Gene Simmons-styled bass runs and a feel that this is what Queen might have sounded like had they come from the Mid-West rather than the West End… all hail the big beat! Lean On You takes the temperature down a little – clever lyrics usher in a straight-up slice of superb radio rock. Classy vocals make this one of the highlights of the album. And is that a hint of Rush hovering in the ether?
While You Were Out is probably the least arresting track on the album, but it’s still a rather perky piece of fiery rock n’roll
What comes next is, it has to be said, quite monstrous… Stay With Me is a surprise slab of heavy, pompous U.S. metal led by some chunky riffage courtesy of Rob Galpin; clever synth use, brooding atmospheres and superior musicianship will transport you back to the times when Angel and Starcastle roamed the earth. After what’s gone before this track is a total surprise – but a very welcome one, and the pure pomp overload continues with Surrender, which belies it’s tricky name and won’t fail to appeal to you if, like me, you’re a big fan of UK rockers Cats In Space. What a treat it would be to see them and Gastem share a stage!
Penultimate track Who Do You Know carries with it hints of prime time Ace Frehley, an early Eighties-flavoured slice of radio rock that certainly hits the spot, as does How Do You Sleep – a heavy intro gives way to a song that sounds like an extension of Who Do You Know, but with bigger, shinier hooks to hold on to.
At the end of the day, the market for the music Gastem are making isn’t a big one, but it would be an absolute crime if every single person, world wide, who has even a scintilla of love for beautifully-crafted retro rock, doesn’t hear this album at their earliest convenience. You owe it to your friends to get this record into their ears, and you owe it to them to do it now. Let’s go, people, let’s go!
The celebration does not stop there. Eonian Records also plans to release a companion album, recorded during the GASTEM III sessions, slated for Fall 2025. The upcoming release builds on the momentum of 2024’s GASTEM III, as well as the 40th Anniversary reissues of ‘Catch the Flame’ and ‘Do It Like Wild’ highlighting the band’s continued relevance and raw energy.
Highly Recommended
01 So High 3:04
02 Did You See That Girl 2:54
03 Joe Ellen 2:58
04 Come Back For Me 4:42
05 Kiss Me Like You Love Me 4:14
06 Taking It All 3:35
07 Anyway 2:48
08 Bloodsucker 2:46
09 Lean On You 4:03
10 While You Were Out 4:08
11 Stay With Me 4:33
12 Surrender 3:21
13 Who Do You Know 3:09
14 How Do You Sleep 4:23
Gastem – III 2024, MP3+FLAC
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