In the early 1990’s, Arrival (Long Island New York), brought forth the AOR/Arena Rock of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s – Big harmonies and catchy choruses. It is hard to fathom that an unknown, original band would aspire to write, record, and perform music in a style that was soon to be outmoded. In early 1992, Arrival was such a band. They carried the torches of our melodic rock heroes of the previous two decades: the Journeys, Foreigners, Def Leppards. They loved big harmonies and anthemic choruses. They had high hopes AND a high tenor, damnit!
Lead Vocalist, Warren Passaro would be the band’s secret weapon. “I had heard Warren on a demo tape of a mutual friend several years before meeting him”, states keyboardist Craig Higgins. “In fact, when bassist Steve and our drummer, Johnny Rizzo, heard Warren on that tape, we all thought, “That is the kind of singer we need.” He had the soaring range and excellent intonation we admired in our favorite vocalists. It turns out, he also liked ELO, Styx, Squeeze, and ABBA.”
Arrival were itching to play live. “Steve, Johnny, Warren, and I were recording demos. Thanks to the booming home-studio market, we used a Tascam 488 eight-track recorder and a DAT machine to bring our songs to life. Admittedly, we were indulgently winking and nodding to our influences with songs such as ‘Like You Do’ and ‘Where Will We Be’. Craig tried his best to perform guitar parts on those songs within limitations, but it became clear that we needed a real guitar player.” Enter, Laz Novak (lead guitarist) and the line-up was finalized. Gigs with well-known bands like Zebra, Joe Lynn Turner, and Badfinger would solidify Arrival as a serious local contender that were often called upon as a national support act.
So, what about the band name? “We knew we’d pad our eventual live set with some cover songs, and with Warren‘s high vocal range, Journey was an obvious choice. We covered ‘Any Way You Want It’ from their ‘Departure’ album. Did we call ourselves Arrival as a play on words in tribute band fashion? Well, no, not for Journey, at least. I think it was Warren who suggested the name, Arrival, in reference to ABBA’s album of the same name. Tit-for tat, maybe, but it gave us a secret chuckle just the same.”
As 1993 came to a close, so did Arrival.
So in 2026, nearly 34 years later, FnA Records offer you our small contribution to the fold. The Journey-esque/Def Leppard-esque thirteen track album, ‘Last Roll Of The Dice’, will vibe strongly to the fans of Arena Rock.
Tracklisting:
- Who’s To Blame
- Love Comes And Goes
- You Saved
- Nobody’s Business
- Room Of Tears
- Cold And Alive
- Killing Us Inside
- Where Will We Be
- Last Roll Of The Dice
- You
- Like You Do
- Without You
- Tough Love (Bonus Track)
Pick up your copy in physical format from the FnA Records website. There will also be a “Fan Pack” available for sale that is signed by all five members of the band that recorded the album.
