Eisley/Goldy: Blood, Guts and Games (Frontiers)

Now here’s a collaboration that is bound to make old school melodic rock fans sit up and take notice. Eisley/Goldy pairs vocalist David Glen Eisley (Giuffria) with guitarist (and Giuffria bandmate) Craig Goldy (ex-Dio, Resurrection Kings) for the first time since the short-lived Craig Goldy’s Ritual project. It’s also the first we’ve heard from Eisley since his last solo release nearly two decades ago. Goldy and Eisley handle all of the instruments on this album save for the drums, which were provided by Ron Wisko.

The debut Eisley/Goldy album is titled Blood, Guts and Games, and if you were hoping for something that recalled the two’s glory days in Giuffria, you…actually get something damned close here. I mean, it’s impossible to hear that voice with lots of keyboards behind him and not think Giuffria. It’s not quite Giuffra III (if you want that, Eisley’s The Lost Tapes is your best bet), but Eisley and Goldy obviously had their shared past in mind when they put Blood, Guts and Games together.

Goldy and Eisley still have the magic, and it’s great to hear them together again. “No More Prayers in the Night,” “Love of the Game” and “Soul of Madness” have the strongest Giuffria vibe, but the whole album is really solid and brings that classic melodic rock era to mind. Eisley still sounds amazing, and if his voice is a bit more weathered here, that only adds to the soul he brings to these songs. And Goldy’s guitar work is equally soulful.

It’s been way too long since the melodic rock world has heard from David Glen Eisley, and having him back with Craig Goldy is a real joy. Blood, Guts and Games is an all-around rock-solid album that’s sure to please fans of Giuffria as well as fans of House of Lords, Resurrection Kings and classic-sounding, keyboard-heavy melodic rock in general.