Indie Music Album Reviews

Rick Reichert - Along A Path

1/27/2023

Rick Reichert

Along A Path
self-released; 2022

By My Nguyen

Rick Reichert is a brand-new artist from Central New York. During his early years, the artist traveled the world with his family as the son of U.S. Air Force serving parents. He eventually decided to serve in the military himself and after returning to Central New York after serving, his wife brought him his first guitar. Reichert threw himself into learning how to play. Now six guitars and some additional years later, he has had the pleasure to be teaming up with Grammy-nominated Bob F. Acquaviva who produced his first full-length album release, Along A Path. Reichert mixes his love for medieval/mythical themes with daily life elements on this hugely classic rock album. Wailing guitar solos and bombastic vocals that had a way of reminding me of Axel Rose, grab hold of listeners and just won’t let go.

Along A Path gets started with “Sword and Stone,” where listeners are blitzed with a radioactive sound coming from the guitars. Once Reichert’s vocals come in, you will be captivated by its gritty delivery. The wall-to-wall guitars really make the sound, which sounded spectacular. I was loving the energy of this piece, which pointed to classic rock in the best sense possible. More great energy comes across on “Not Gonna Matter.” As driven guitars grab hold of you, Reichert’s enthused vocals lights up the sounds. Synths and heavy guitars immediately arrest the sounds on “Renaissance Man.” The drums are insanely fast-paced, but Reichert keeps up the momentum with his revved singing abilities. He really belts out the lyrics with feeling which added to the hard-hitting sounds.

Drums and the appealing sound of sax arrives for a searing sound on “I Got You.” Though Reichert tones it down a notch here, there was still that same raw energy I saw in the previous songs. The radioactive guitar solo really sounded great. “The Long Road” is a departure from Reichert’s originally hard-hitting sound. On this slow burning track, the artist takes his time in letting the melody evolve. Here Reichert sings with emotional power. On this moving ballad, we get to see a different side to the artist. On the pop-driven “Still Standing,” we get some piano riffs and giant guitars. The moving rhythms and contagious backbeat made for an excellent listen. I think Reichert really conjures Meat Loaf here.

On “Truth,” more hard-hitting rhythms and guitars come through this recording. Once more, Reichert’s gritty vocals make the sound. This was another energetic rock anthem that I greatly enjoyed. The sounds of shooting fireworks also make this track that much more epic. On “Saying Goodbye (Brek’s Song),” atmospheric synths enter. Soon, some acoustic guitar and piano arrive for a moving sound. On this ballad, Reichert sings with emotional power. Then, the song opens up for a fuller band vibe where Reichert really belts out here for a searing performance. A wall of guitars comes bursting forth from “Valhalla Calls.” The sounds surround you for a driven and hard-hitting vibe. This simmering rock anthem felt like a great way to close the record.

Reichert lists his influences for the album as Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, Def Leppard, Foo Fighters, Queen and Boston. You can definitely hear these influences in Reichert’s sound as he takes you on a ride through ‘70s rock through the ages till now. Bursting at the seams with high-tail energy, you can’t help but be carried away by the driven sounds. If you’re a fan of classic rock n’ roll, then this might be just for you. Be sure you give this a spin today!