Journey-Arrival (2001)

Following the release of Journey's reunion album "Trial By Fire" in 1996, lead singer Steve Perry refused to participate in the subsequent promotional tour, citing a supposed hip injury. The remaining members couldn't tolerate this further uncertainty from the singer and decided to replace him, ensuring his replacement sounded as similar to Perry as possible. Finally, two years later and after numerous auditions, they hired Steve Augeri as their new vocalist. Another member who left the band was drummer Steve Smith, who didn't want to continue without Perry. He was replaced by Deen Castronovo, who had previously worked with Nel Schon and Jonathan Cain in Bad English. Along with the fifth member (Ross Valory), they recorded and released the album "Arrival" in 2001, which also featured Jack Blades, who co-wrote some of the songs. In this new release, Augeri's voice stands out, strikingly similar to Perry's, though without quite capturing his charismatic emotional depth. "Arrival", like all Journey albums, follows the classic musical pattern of great soft rock, AOR, and melodic hard rock melodies, showcasing Neal Schon's superb guitar work, Cain's brilliant keyboard passages, and the irresistible, deeply emotive high-pitched vocals of whoever is behind the microphone. With a well-balanced repertoire, the album ranges from classic hard rock tracks like "Higher Place", "Signs of Life", and "To Be Alive Again", to irresistible melodic mid-tempo numbers like "Live and Breathe", "Loved By You", and "Kiss Me Softly", and more complex pieces such as the bluesy rock of "Livin' To Do" and the epic "World Gone Wild".