Grimmstine consists of Steve Stine from US and Steve Grimmett of the UK. Grimmett was the lead singer the legendary Heavy Metal band "Grim Reaper" back in the early to mid-80's. Grimmett also in in Lionsheart now. Stine has played 100's of live shows in the Midwest in various bands and has taught lessons for many years, developing and unique and diverse style. Listen below to how these two guy met and created the powerhouse GRIMMSTINE.

GRIMMSTINE - "Grimmstine" - 2008

The way this band was formed is an amazing story in itself, one that can't be told properly in a review, but let me just say the fact that this project ever happened is amazing in itself. Grimmstine is half Steve Grimmett, former lead singer of the legendary "Grim Reaper" and the other half is Steve Stine, a very accomplished guitarist hailing from the Midwest in America, Fargo, ND to be exact. (YES, the same from the movie Fargo). Let's just say that Grimmett and his wife, also from the Fargo area, met online and the rest is history.

Regardless how the band was formed, these two guys formed a bond that led to the formation of this band, that features the Hat and Dave Johnson from the band Sons Of Poseidon. Stine's blistering guitar style fits amazing with Grimmett's amazing vocals. They have written a good mix of Classic Metal with a modern twist. There's 15 songs on the CD, an amazing amount of music, with some traditional Metal, some more AOR sounding cuts and even some ballads.

Stine shows a lot of diversity on the album with a mix of modern elements, speed and even some softer material that makes the ballads really stand out. Grimmett's voice is STILL amazing, the music isn't nearly as dark as the Grim Reaper material, but it's just as powerful when he belts out the tracks. The material is far from the mainstream mostly because of the clean vocals and the fact that Grimmett actually SINGS, but it's also going to find a good audience as it's heavy enough for the Power Metal crowd, but still strays into AOR at times. 80's fans of course are going to appreciate the music, but with a lot of the younger kids looking for alternatives to Nickelback and the radio shit, they just might find themselves hitting the younger demographic as well.

So, is this the album of the year? Probably not, but I don't think they're trying to reinvent the wheel or blow you away with needless guitar soloing. It's just a solid Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album with some good hooks. The production is solid, it's professionally done and if anything is gives you a good idea of what they can do. They are already working on new material, and with a strong first effort like this, I can't wait to hear what they do next. Again, sometimes the most unlikely scenerios can lead to magical moments like this. Keep and eye and ear on this band!