Los Angeles-based hard rock outfit Burning Rain draw from a well dirtied by classic late-'70s blues-rock and Sunset Strip-kissed pop-metal. Issuing a pair of efforts -- 1999's eponymous debut and 2000's Pleasure to Burn -- at the turn of the century, they pressed pause on the project until 2013, when they returned with Epic Obsession.

Formed in 1998 by seasoned guitarist Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Lion, Dio, Hurricane), vocalist Keith St. John (Big Trouble, Medicine Wheel), drummer Alex Makarovich (Steelheart), and bassist Ian Mayo (Bangalore Choir), the band issued a pair of well-received albums (1999's Burning Rain and 2000's Pleasure to Burn) in Japan and Europe before going on an indefinite hiatus due to Aldrich's busy touring and recording schedule with Whitesnake and Dio. In 2013, Aldrich and St. John brought the band out of semi-retirement with a new album, Epic Obsession, which featured a new rhythm section consisting of bass player Sean McNabb (Dokken) and drummer Matt Starr (Ace Frehley). Their next album featured another shift in membership, recruiting Brad Lang on bass and Blas Elias on drums for 2019's Face the Music. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi