Review: First Light – Elemental

Pride & Joy Music (July 25^th 2025)

Reviewer – Chris O’Connor

If you love polished AOR, then ‘Elemental’ should be right at the top of your shopping list. At first listen, I was convinced the band had to be Scandinavian – but to my surprise, First Light is built around two Brits: guitarist Dave Hardman and bassist Carl Sharples. The creative dynamic is simple yet effective – Dave handles the songwriting, while Carl crafts the melodies and lyrics – and together, they’ve created something truly special.

Of course, two talented musicians can only take things so far. Enter legendary FM keyboardist Didge Digital, who joins the fold and absolutely shines throughout the album. Joining Carl in the rhythm section is powerhouse drummer Andy Jakeman – an old friend of the founders and a major asset. And as the final “ace in the hole,” the band recruited New York vocalist Warren Passaro. His voice? Absolutely phenomenal. His performance across ‘Elemental’ is nothing short of outstanding.

With a brilliant quintet in place, what more could you ask for? How about a top-tier production team? The album is produced by Vega drummer Pete Newdeck, who delivers a huge, polished sound. And if that’s not enough, mastering duties were handled by none other than Harem Scarem’s vocal legend Harry Hess. In short: this is complete AOR perfection.

But even with a dream lineup and a stellar production team, it all comes down to the songs—and ‘Elemental’ delivers in spades. The songwriting evokes the golden age of Giant, Dare, Honeymoon Suite, Journey, White Sister, Biloxi, FM, and Aces High. AOR/Melodic Rock simply doesn’t get better than this. Some tracks are outright “earworms” – standouts like ‘Forever Young’, ‘Mayday’, ‘Shooting for the Stars’, and ‘Mesmerising’ will bury their hooks deep. Resistance is truly futile. This is the very definition of “all killer, no filler.”

From the explosive opener ‘Closer’, the album dazzles and energizes. It’s everything I love about Melodic Rock—smooth yet punchy, with massive, anthemic choruses. There’s a vibrancy and infectious energy running through every track. I’m in musical heaven. I only hope the band finds it within themselves to make more albums.

So, is ‘Elemental’ the album of the year? Not quite – but it comes incredibly close. The songs are huge, the harmonies lush, the melodies shimmer. Dave Hardman is a legitimate guitar hero, and Warren Passaro leaves my jaw on the floor – he might just be the new Peppy Castro (and that’s as high as compliments get in this genre).

To say it plainly: if you love smooth, polished AOR and Melodic Rock, you must hear and buy ‘Elemental’. I promise you—skip this at your peril. Is it the album of the year? Not quite, but only by a whisker. In fact. between this and Timson AOR’s gargantuan, sensational, and flawless ‘The Next Level’, we have the two essential AOR albums of 2025, and most probably the albums of the year outright – it really is that simple!

Tracklist:

1. Closer
2. Damned If You Do Damned If You Don’t
3. Forever Young
4. Mayday
5. Leave A Light On
6. Mesmerising
7. Run
8. Caught Up In You
9. Shooting For The Stars
10. Untouchable
11. The Prize

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