It has been just over ten years since Joel Hoekstra’s 13 burst out of the traps with their woefully underrated debut album Dying To Live. Far from being a flash in the pan project, the always-in-demand Illinois native continues his melodic rock rampage with his fourth opus, From The Fade.
Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – From The Fade
Release Date: 27 February 2026
Words: Brian Boyle
Although Joel Hoekstra’s eight-year tenure in Whitesnake was not exactly during their all-conquering glory years, he still lit up the band after the temporary power cut, when Doug Aldrich surprisingly departed.
Looking at him at that time, it is hard not to think that if he were a few years older in 1987, he would have been a great-looking fit in that lineup, more so than the mismatched Vivian Campbell.
But aside from the visual aspect, the man has always been fantastic value, whether that be with Lord Coverdale, Night Ranger, Cher or mesmerising arenas with Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
Along for the ride on the new album, From The Fade, is a damn impressive name-dropping ensemble of talent. As was the case with the previous three albums, you get the rightly lauded Tony Franklin on bass, percussive royalty Vinny Appice, keyboard general Derek Sherinian, and high-end backing vocals supplied by Jeff Scott Soto.
Probably the lesser-known of the mob is lead singer Girish Pradhan, who returns for his second bite at the cherry after 2023’s Crash Of Life. And if you did not know his name from before, by the end of his vocal gymnastics on opener You Can Give, you will be on first-name terms.
We all know Hoekstra’s calibre as a guitarist, and not often is the fretboard rammed down your throat with a million notes at warp nine. As robust rockers The Fall and Lifeline tell you, this is without doubt a song’s album. The guitars just add a sprinkling of gold.
“The songs were built from the guitar riffs up,” Hoekstra says. “Most of the riffs were written during the time I was filling in with Accept, so there is a heavier edge to this album overall. That being said, the album still would be more accurately described as melodic hard rock, not straight-up Metal.
“As always with Joel Hoekstra’s 13 albums, I wrote the style of music that inspired me to pick up the guitar and tried to focus on SONGS for you to enjoy, not overly self-indulgent guitar solos.”
So, do not expect an all-out fire and brimstone power ballad. The profound Will You Remember Me is a lot more cultured than that carry on.
Needless to say, when Hoekstra does clock in, he totally bosses it.
Melodic prog-er Misunderstood and the more straight-to-the-vein rocker The End Of Me are illuminated by his simple virtuosity.
As far as Sherinian goes, he was never going to fade into the corner playing chopsticks. On Start To Fight, you get a brief but thrilling sample as to why he is one of the top go-to guys when you need some ivory tickled in style.
The fact that Joel Hoekstra’s 13 have little or no live action under their belts is a sin, because without a shadow of a doubt, this lineup of personnel would sell itself.
Studio-wise, they could do this with their eyes closed, but there is nothing here to suggest they are cruising in the comfort zone. A solid seven, tipping an eight out of ten will do every time, and on this form, you cannot see him dropping below that.
Joel Hoekstra’s 13 release From The Fade on 27 February 2026 via Frontier’s Music Srl. For more details, visit ffm.bio/fromthefadelalbum.
