Stalking Horse - Reviews

Everybody's News - Issue 485 - January 2-8, 1998

This three-song EP-CD is the brainchild of one Sean Kerns, aka Stalking Horse, who wrote, performed and produced the entire project all by his lonesome. The first thing to grab your attention is the muscular guitar work - lots of fuzz, saturation and athletic solos. On the rhythm side, Kerns, a real jack of all trades, handles the percussion and bottom end better that most full-time drummers and bassists. Vocally, Kerns goes the path of recognizable melodies and multiple harmonies reminiscent of the heavy-tinged pop of bands like Journey.

Kerns is a true player, and his musicianship and hard work make Half in Shadow a focused and compact effort. But I must admit that while listening to this disc I more than once had to check my watch to see if it was indeed 1997. Yup, it is. The music of Stalking Horse, on the other hand, while it is meticulously crafted, prodigiously performed and professionally produced, is stuck in a time when Journey ruled the world - which, for fans of Journey, should be taken as an indication that y'all would dig this music. Those who were never too fond of Journey or Steve Perry's ass, however, would do well to look elsewhere for musical satiation. Did I mention that this sounds like Journey?

-Erica Boudoir