DRIVE, SHE SAID – PASS THE TORCH: KEEPING THE FLAME OF MELODIC ROCK ALIVE

Review by Glen Parkes

There is something rather fitting about an album called Pass The Torch arriving at a point where Drive, She Said are quite literally carrying their musical legacy into a new era. Mark Mangold has been at the heart of the band since its earliest days, and with vocalist Derrick LeFevre stepping into the role once occupied by the late Al Fritsch, this could easily have become an exercise in looking backwards. Instead, Pass The Torch sounds like a band looking firmly ahead while keeping one hand connected to its past.

Released through Frontiers Music Srl on 4 December 2026, the album contains twelve tracks that sit comfortably in that wonderful territory between AOR, melodic rock and classic hard rock. This is music built around melodies that stick, keyboards that add atmosphere rather than simply filling space, guitars that know when to roar and choruses that practically demand to be sung along with.

Opening with the title track, ‘Pass The Torch’, Mangold immediately reminds us why his keyboard work has always been such an important part of the Drive, She Said identity. There is a polished, widescreen quality to the arrangement, but importantly, it never feels sterile. The songwriting remains at the centre, giving the album a sense of movement and purpose from the outset.

‘Saviours And Sinners’ and ‘Wildfyre’ continue that momentum, bringing together the muscular side of melodic rock with the enormous hooks the genre demands. There is no attempt to reinvent AOR here, and nor should there be. Drive, She Said understand that a great melodic rock song does not need unnecessary complication. Give it a memorable chorus, a strong vocal, a guitar that knows how to make an entrance and keyboards that add colour, and you are already halfway there.

‘Catch The Wind’ provides another dose of that classic Drive, She Said atmosphere before the album reaches one of its most immediately accessible moments with ‘We Own The Night’. The first single is exactly the sort of track that can pull listeners into the album. Mangold describes it as being about a hard-working couple who spend the day grafting and then let loose at night, and there is an infectious sense of release running through the song.

It is also a useful introduction to LeFevre.

Replacing a much-loved vocalist is never going to be a straightforward task, particularly when that singer was such a fundamental part of a band’s identity. Yet LeFevre does not appear to be trying to become Al Fritsch. Instead, he brings his own strength and character to these songs, while retaining the soaring melodic quality that the material needs. That distinction is important, because Pass The Torch works best when it sounds like a new chapter rather than a reconstruction of an old one.

‘Forever’ and ‘All For Love’ move the record further into the romantic side of AOR, while ‘Livin’ Inside A Dream’ and ‘Love On Your Side’ continue the combination of polished production, layered harmonies and instantly accessible songwriting.

Then comes ‘Rescue You’, before ‘Pyro’ injects another burst of energy. Throughout the album, Mangold’s keyboards provide a recognisable thread, while a substantial guitar team featuring Craig Brooks, Jake E, Euge Valovirta, Ricky “Wheels” Kolster, Mitch Perry, Andrew Autin and Aldo Lonobile ensures there is plenty of six-string firepower.

Closing with ‘As I Lay Dying’, the album leaves us with a final reminder that Pass The Torch is not simply about celebrating what Drive, She Said were. It is about deciding what they can still become.

The presence of Al Fritsch hangs naturally over the record, and that makes the album’s title particularly poignant. Mangold has spoken openly about missing his former musical partner and initially questioning whether Drive, She Said could continue without him. The answer arrived through new songs, new musicians and a new vocalist.

Dennis Ward’s mix gives the album the polished, powerful production expected from a modern Frontiers melodic-rock release, allowing the vocals, guitars, keyboards and harmonies to sit comfortably together.

Pass The Torch ultimately succeeds because it understands the difference between nostalgia and legacy. Nostalgia asks us to remember what came before. Legacy asks us to carry it forward.

Drive, She Said have chosen the latter.

This is Mark Mangold keeping the flame burning, Derrick LeFevre bringing a new voice to the story and a collection of songs that proudly carries the AOR flag into another generation. The torch has not been extinguished. It has simply changed hands.