Winterhawk-There And Back Again (1979)

Winterhawk was an arrogant hard rock band from the late seventies that had nothing to envy in their more mainstream contemporaries. Hailing from Chicago, this band would only release one album in 1982, but long before its release, they played a series of concerts at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom between 1977 and 1978, which were rediscovered and reissued in 2002 as "There and Back Again". The Winterhawk lineup consisted of guitarist Jordan Macarus, bassist Doug Brown, guitarist Steve Brown, and drummer Steve Tsokatos. During those years, thanks to their incendiary live performances, they were in demand to open for top-tier bands such as Black Oak Arkansas, Steppenwolf, and Budgie, among others. Some of the songs performed at this live show ended up on the aforementioned and only album, released four years later, titled "Revival". This spectacular live recording showcases the immeasurable mastery of Jordan Macarus on the six strings, delivering tons of riffs and guitar solos, while the rest of the band displays a muscular instrumentation of power and force. Powerful and energetic hard rock tracks like "Sanctuary", "In The Wake Of Things Yet to Come", "Hammer And The Axe", "Creatures Of The Sea", and "Off The Bat" make up this colossal recording. "There and Back Again" is, without a doubt, one of the essential albums for all lovers of the dark and forgotten classic hard rock of the 70s.

Winterhawk-Revival (1982)

Winterhawk's only studio album, "Revival", is considered by many to be one of the most outstanding guitar-driven hard rock albums of all time. This Chicago-based band is frequently compared to the Canadian band Rush due to the similarity in their instrumental patterns and Doug Brown's vocal timbre, which bears a striking resemblance to Geddy Lee's. However, musically, Winterhawk's style leaned towards the primitive roots of American hard rock, unlike the Canadian band, which was more influenced by British blues-rock, a style inherited from bands like Led Zeppelin, and which they already showcased in their first three albums: "Rush", "Fly By Night", and "Caress of Steel". Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the shadow of the Canadian trio is evident in many of their instrumental passages, as demonstrated by the title track, the dynamic "Sanctuary", and even the progressive-tinged hard rock of "Period of Change". On the other hand, “Ace In The Hole” showcases the group’s diversity with a muscular piece of instrumental jazz rock, while the Southern rock track “Can’t See The Forest For The Trees” and especially the legendary jam “Free To Live” demonstrate the dazzling talent of their guitarist Jordan Macarus with his dizzying and arabesque solos on the six strings, making it clear that he is one of the great and at the same time unknown guitarists of seventies hard rock.