Pittsburgh-based band XDB invigorates with a charismatic rock nostalgia on new single “When the Love Is Gone,” conjuring an anthemic ’80s appeal. Robert Kane, the track’s songwriter, notes taking inspiration from TNT’s album My Religion and Tony Harnell’s Starbreaker project. “I wanted to write something that was guitar-driven but also had keys in it—especially in the intro,” he explains. Adds guitarist Xander Demos: “We perform it in Drop-D, which gives it a cool mix between TNT and Savatage.”
Themes of yearning and lost love provide an emotive edge within an approachable, hooky rock vigor. Kane’s intent to infuse keys and guitars show seamlessly within the introduction, where nocturnal intrigue emanates from keys and glides quickly into fervent guitar work. The keys/synth retain a reflective quality throughout, though largely emphasizing Xander Demos’ ardent guitar work. They soar with ample charisma before the lead vocals emerge, then lamenting getting lost in the night and “never finding what I’m looking for.”
“Where did we go wrong?” expressive vocal layers let out during the memorable chorus, punctuated by the palpable longing in singing “I’ll never forget the night you walked away.” The guitar solo past the three-minute turn furthers the already-enveloping production, which balances upfront vocal passion and more instrumentation-focused musicianship. A final vocal sequence enters into the finale, as does one last send-off of guitar soaring that culminates in a flourishing of atmospheric keys. “When the Love Is Gone” is a powerful rock success from XDB.
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