10/10
“Take six good musicians and awesome tunes … the result is FRONT ROW WARRIORS. For a debut album really strong. You have to be grateful when there is still good, horny music on the plate … the Swabians give everything. You shouldn’t just see them as newcomers … they will fight their way into the front row very soon.”
(Hellfire)
10/10
“… absolutely fantastic … nobody would believe that this is actually a debut album … there’s nothing to criticize here … a colourful feast of individual songs … composed with great attention to detail and a deft touch for atmospheric elements … everything is rocked with great skill by the whole band … singer Elkie tops it all off with her charismatic voice and her singing skills … you have to love ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ – every song is a hit! “
(Metalheads DE)
10/10
“… wonderful … stunning … incredible Rock and Metal mix … immense infectious … electrifying … singer Elkie Gee is capable of traditional Metal vocals as well as arena Rock … jaw dropping …”
(Metal Gods TV)
9,5/10
“… function like a unit that has grown over many years … I failed to detect even one off-key note after repeated listens … one song features Riot vocalist Todd Michael Hall as backup …”
(Bleeding4Metal)
9,1/10
Much of the power of this band lies in Elkie’s voice, one of the best female voices out there, and even the simplest song is made to shine … there really is no weak point on this album. They couldn’t have had a better debut … the quality of the songs here closes mouths … and opens others …”
(Metallerium)
9/10
“… reveal an incredible amount of inspiration, creativity and great talent on their album debut … all of this, coupled with their years of experience and the savvy of the entire production team, makes ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ one of the strongest debuts in recent years and a great hope for the future … phenomenal …”
(Undercover Rock And Metal)
9/10
“… amazing … with many (very many) beautiful melodies … a very great album … each element has an appropriate portion and good production … has quite complete elements … enjoyable …”
(Metal Opera)
9/10
“What you hear in the 12 tracks is a perfect blend of Heavy Metal , AOR and Melodic Heavy Metal – don’t expect the standard Rhapsody or Blind Guardian, as the elements of that variety here point to a heavier Stratovarius – the immediate highlight is Elkie’s voice …”
(RoadieCrew)
86/100
“… striking compositional freshness … monumental vocal performance … both melodic and sophisticated … the riffing is at least as rich and varied as the guitar melodies are effective … the quality is undeniable and surprising … convincing and captivating from the first note to the last … superb example of Melodic Metal rarely found today.”
(Loud And Proud Italy)
8,5/10
“… high-class album in the intersection of catchy Hard/Heavy Rock … masterpiece of a German band that skillfully recommends itself with fat hooklines, slamming guitars, catchy melodies and magical vocals all along the line …”
(Saitenkult)
8/10
“… powerful, crisp and at times traditional Hard Rock with a proper 80s broadside … with a wealth of great songs …”
(Rock It!)
8/10
“… six highly talented musicians … strong melodies give the album an unmistakable energy and an earworm character that inevitably draws the listener in … from soulful numbers to rousing Heavy Metal bangers that invite you to nod your head, ‘Wheel of Fortune’ delivers something for everyone … undoubtedly a remarkable entry in the world of Hard Rock and melodic Heavy Metal – recommended purchase!”
(Metal DE)
7/10
“… front woman with a strong voice … twelve tracks with a lot of feeling … successful debut …”
(Rock Hard DE)
“… without exception experienced musicians, that succeeded in this excellently … powerfully produced and also exemplary mixed, the 10 songs and 2 intros bang out of the speakers and keep the promise. Because even if most of the songs start quite metallic, they almost always get the curve to Hard Rock and yet remain independent and modern enough to scare off neither the one nor the other faction. A great balancing act …”
(Metalglory)
“… sounds super professional for a debut album and thrills from front to back on the first listen. It’s been a while since a debut album blew me away right away … above all, the fantastic vocals with through the bank catchy hooks and strong choruses … a really skillful balancing act between catchy Hard Rock and sophisticated as well as Melodic Heavy Metal … there are almost too many highlights to list them all … inspires more and more from run to run …”
(Tracks Magazin)
“Characteristic of the band’s sound are the distinctive, raspy voice of Elkie Gee, whose clean vocals are somewhat reminiscent of the legendary Doro Pesch, and the keyboards, which feature a tasteful selection of synths that are deliberately typical of these years … an honest and genuine album …”
(Metalshock IT)
“In many ways I found it hard to believe at first that this is a debut album, because it seems very accomplished – good old melodic Heavy Metal – with a lot of life, nerve and not least melody … they have their own sound – not least because of the vocals of Elkie Gee – here the band has hit the nail on the head … 12 strong tracks – tracks that each deserve to be highlighted …”
(Rancor Metalzine)
“… impressive homage to the Hard Rock and Metal of the 80s and 90s … outstanding guitar and keyboard work … charming female lead vocals … thrilling melodies, epic choruses and anthemic passages … a true gem for music lovers who appreciate the power and spirit of Rock music …”
(BlattTurbo)
“… extremely catchy tunes … frontwoman Elkie conjures up one great melody after the other … many of the songs move forward briskly … the arrangements are varied throughout and always have little surprises in store … great album …”
(Totentanz)
“… definitely give this a go … awesome …”
(PowerSymphonic)
10/10
“… Heavy Metal as it can not sound more classic … I feel I’m transported back to the glory days of Warlock, because with Elkie we also have here a singer with a Rock throat, but for me because of her style still sounds much more interesting than the ‘Queen of Metal’.”
(MetalZone – Support The Underground)
10/10
“… dedicated to melodic, but harder Hard Rock, which occasionally flirts a bit with AOR, but above all rather seeks the proximity to Heavy Rock. The voice of Elkie Gee also not infrequently reminds of the singers of the great U.S. female (fronted) bands like Heart, Vixen, Phantom Blue and inspires with its power. And also the English pronunciation is impeccable. But also the musical realization belongs for me to some of the best I have heard from the German Hard Rock scene in the last years … the songwriting is first class.”
(Ivy Wolfisberg Blog)
95/100
“… Elkie elevates each track to a really high level … an impressive debut … twelve brilliant songs … power and melody conspire and every single one of them knows to convince … Front Row Warriors definitely knows how to play their way into the front ranks of the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal landscape already with this debut …”
(Musika BE)
4,25/5
“… surprised me with shining hooks and headbanging riffs … a throwback to the days when Hard Rock transitioned into Metal … very polished and definitely not an underground vibe, with slick production, booming sound and catchy choruses … vocalist Elkie G is a discovery, with the perfect kind of powerful, edgy instrument … musical influences from Krokus to Dokken to Priest and even a little Queensrÿche here and there … really accessible, but it’s still a riff-cracking good time …”
(The Metal Crypt)
9/10
“… a singer who, á la Heart, is effortlessly at home in all registers … hammer-strong debut … amazing hit density …”
(Hardline)
9/10
“… the band really puts their foot down, the musicians play on a technically high level, the interplay works perfectly … kick-ass music … Elkie’s voice has an enormous power, determines the sound of the band significantly …”
(Rocknews CH)
9/10
“… really amazing vocals … I was very surprised by this album … you can feel the good energy and experience of all the musicians in the music … full of changes and surprises … interesting from start to finish … a very well done piece of work that will definitely find a deservedly large fan base and supporters.”
(RockPlanet)
4/5
“… melodic songs full of pathos, epic and captivating thanks to the interpretation of the talented Elkie, who is reminiscent of Doro Pesch (Warlock) in intense moments … immediately revs the engine … FRONT ROW WARRIORS are committed to good music and present a really good debut …”
(All Around Metal)
8,5/10
“From the guitars you can hear different bands like the Scorpions, Jaded Heart and a few more … the keys are more restrained than Axel Rudi Pell, the drums remind me of Mike Terrana or Bobby Rondenelli in the way they were played with a lot of power … very catchy and harmoniously produced … convinced me completely.”
(Rock Garage DE)
8/10
“… a great album, and all Metal fans should give this appealing work a listen …”
(Metal Factory)
8/10
“… crisp, partly atmospheric Melodic Heavy Metal, which can be pigeonholed quite well with bands like later Pretty Maids, Bonfire, Eclipse, Crystal Ball or Jaded Heart … singer Elkie Gee does her thing really well! Fans of classic, rocking Melodic Metal should definitely get this one!”
(Crossfire Webzine)
7.5/10
“… Elkie Gee’s powerful voice brings a whole Warlock / Doro vibe … lots of AOR-style keyboards, epic musical lines and a sonic journey through the fantasy and nostalgia of the 1980s … an extraordinary achievement for a debut album …”
(Groundcast)
7/10
“… at once edgy and seductive sound, carried by two sharp guitars, the punctual colouring of a keyboard, a solid rhythm section and a stentorian voice with a remarkable dose of vitality and expressiveness … Queensrÿche reminiscences, as in the evocative power ballad ‘Wasted Life’ or in ‘Dystopian Time’, sung as a duet with guest Todd Michael Hall (J. Starr’s Burning Starr, Riot V) …”
(Metal IT)
“… simply a great record, which convinces with music without a lot of fuss and should bring FRONT ROW WARRIORS into the focus of many Melodic Metal fans …”
(Metal Inside)
“… FRONT ROW WARRIORS have delivered a very strong album that can strike fear into other female-fronted bands, because singer Elkie puts the crown on the songs with her charismatic voice. But also the other musicians deliver a performance on the highest level. Listen to the songs and you will be as excited as I am!”
(Nightshade)
“… interesting one … took me by surprise … you get a lot of diversity … quiet impressive … really, really great voice … solid songwriting … melodic, catchy tunes … great riffs … memorable album … I enjoyed it very much … there’s a lot to love here …”
(Power Metal Ranger)
“Excellent studio debut effort by the female-fronted Stuttgart sextet!”
(Unique High Fidelity)
“… immensely melodic … you must be dead if it don’t make you fly … highly anthemic with a strong hymn-like nature … one of the best debut albums I’ve heard this year …”
(Frenzy Fire)
“… are front row in when it comes to melody … heavier than average AOR, but also packs the memorable hooks and melodies needed to bring forward the right dose of ear mingling structures … guitars are wonderful and playing at times spectacular … without doubt the vocal delivery of Elkie Gee that impress the most … great musical delivery … with excellent moments by the dozens!”
(HeadBanger’s LifeStyle)
“… the catchy and velvet voice of Elkie Gee … ‘Wheel Of Fortune’ has that delicious feeling of 1980’s albums with such a gluey intent that makes the fan singalong without even noticing … great …”
(Metal Addicts)
Album Of The Year
(Metal Pedia)
