REVIEW: HEARTS & HAND GRENADES “Where I Begin”

If Rock is dead, they forgot to tell HEARTS & HAND GRENADES. Lead by the dynamic Stephanie Wlosinski, who also serves as bassist, the Buffalo, NY band somehow bridges generations of Rock together.

They blend Punk, Metal, Alternative and strait up Hard Rock together to form a universal sound. The songs are loaded with hooks and radio-friendly tracks. Wlosinski has an arsenal of styles she has perfected. She has the attitude of Joan Jett and the playfulness of Gwen Steffani. In a perfect world she’d be a household name in the biz.

So we’ve got the hooks and a dynamic vocalist, the other elements like production and musicianship are also in line. The album sounds top-notch, it’s just a great mix for the music. The album was engineered by Justin Rose at GCR Audio, mixed & mastered by Jeremy Tabor at Triple Zero Music, so hats off to them.

The band is super-tight too, they’re not playing super complicated stuff, but that doesn’t mean you can hear their strong abilities coming through. Mike Bress is a very accomplished guitarist who adds a lot of elements to the songs without overpowering them. And Wlosinski’s bass and Cory Michalski’s drumming provide a very solid background to the tracks.

They could easily transition to a Pop OR a full out Metal band but they stay somewhere in the middle. They ARE heavy, but not “extreme”. As I mentioned earlier, they’re going to appeal to a mass market of Rock/Metal fans.

As far as individual tracks go the single “Burn (By My Fire)” is a great representation of the album. It’s leaning right into the Modern Rock genre. I really loved “Boom” too, which is mostly likely a great live track for the band.

Probably the most interesting song is “I Just Want My Rock” where the band goes through several genres but comes to the conclusion that Rock rules! This is the song where you hear the diversity and possibilities of lead singer Stephanie Wlosinski. She’s a real talent with here ability to do these other genres, even if she’s mocking them.

In all honestly, this is a strong album from beginning to end. I don’t have any major complaints, in fact it’s the opposite, I actually can’t praise them enough for their efforts.

Pre-order / Pre-save Where I Begin at https://bio.to/wherei For more information about Hearts & Hand Grenades and their “Burn (By My Fire)” music video, please visit them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, and follow them on Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Amazon Music, Tidal, or Deezer!