Every so often, a hard rock band remembers that the heart still matters. That beneath the distortion, the bravado, and the endless guitar heroics, the best rock ‘n’ roll has always been about connection—about how one voice, one riff, one open nerve can make you feel less alone. Pittsburgh’s XDB remembers. Their new single, Love of My Life, out September 26 via MTS Records, isn’t trying to reinvent metal or out-muscle the next band down the road. It’s just trying to be honest. And in today’s climate, that’s about as radical as it gets.
From the first verse, Rob Kane sings like a man with something to prove—not to the industry, not to critics, but to himself. His voice cracks with conviction, not polish. When he delivers that chorus—“You’re the love of my life, I swear / Every breath, every moment we share”—you can feel the ache behind it. There’s no wink, no pretense. It’s all heart. Kane’s performance evokes the best of those ‘80s metal frontmen who weren’t afraid to sound human—men like Dio, Coverdale, and even Bon Jovi before irony got in the way.
And then there’s Xander Demos, the band’s guitar firebrand and one of the last true believers in melody over flash. His solo on this track is blistering but restrained, which is saying something for a player of his pedigree. Demos has shared stages with heavyweights like Symphony X and Stryper, but on Love of My Life, he doesn’t need to compete—he complements. His fretwork burns with emotion instead of ego, a reminder that great guitarists don’t just play—they speak.
The rest of the band plays their roles like pros. Brendan Callahan’s keyboards add shimmer and scope; Emily Stroup’s bass anchors the melody in something earthy and real; Guy Cole’s drums strike that balance between bombast and discipline that only comes from musicians who actually listen to each other. Together, they sound like a band in full flight—tight, alive, and unapologetically passionate.
The lyrics, sure, are simple. “Bound by a promise and the stars above / We are one, we are endless love.” But that simplicity is exactly what makes them work. In an era where too many artists hide behind ambiguity, XDB doubles down on clarity. They’re not afraid to tell you how they feel, and they trust you to meet them there. Call it old-fashioned if you want, but it’s also refreshing.
What Love of My Life ultimately reminds us is that heavy music can still be about hope. That behind the amplifiers and the swagger, there’s still room for grace. XDB plays like they mean every word, and that sincerity cuts deeper than any drop-tuned riff ever could.
No, this isn’t the next revolution in rock. But it is something rarer—a song that sounds like it was written by people who still believe in the power of rock ‘n’ roll to tell the truth. And in this loud, fractured age, that might just be the most rebellious act of all.
–David Marshall
