Just one glimpse at the purple-tinted album cover, complete with glowing city-lights and the band’s name and I was sure – this is an AOR band. The press release told me I was right. Ok, so it told me they’re a blend of Hard Rock, Melodic Rock and AOR – and that the Journey is an influence, but also Dokken, White Lion and Extreme. Landfall hails from Brazil – they’re the second Brazilian band I review in a short time, Electric Mob is the other – and features singer Gui Oliver (ex- Aurora), a guy the press release describes as a dead ringer for Steve Perry. Hmm. I guess we’ll see about that. Landfall was originally started by drummer Felipe Souzza and guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke and some years later, bassist Thiago Forbeci joined up with them, adding new musical input and influences and the band decided to go in a new direction.
Originally known as W.I.LD., the guys started to write songs and rehearsing and they have prior to this one released an independent album Flora Negra (2017) and has opened up for artists such as Glenn Hughes and Mike Vescera in their native Brazil before hooking up with Frontiers records for their debut international album, the one that is on the shelves (read: your online store) right now. Now, I’m sceptic towards press-releases as they always make every artist out as being the best thing that happened to humanity since sliced bread and also, the influences that are being mentioned never seems to be accurate, so I try to avoid them the best I can. What I will do, though, is to take on every new record open-minded without any pre-conceptions. So let’s what these Brazilians has to offer, then.
They open the album with the leading single, called “Rush Hour”. It sure fits right into the Melodic Rock genre but it do contain some chunky, classic Hard Rock riffing on a straight-forward rhythm note. It’s upbeat and straight-forward and at times it takes my mind towards Mr Big and blends smooth melodies with a rougher outlook and some edgy guitars. The chorus comes on strong and treats us with catchiness that grows by ever listen. Good tune. On a softer note, “No Way Out” stretches out towards more AOR-ish arrangements. The verses are held-back and somewhat stripped down but the refrain is more uptempo and touches on both Def Leppard and Foreigner with some hitty hooks and memorability. This one’s a real treat.
Based on guitars with the keyboards lurking only in the back, “Jane’s Carousel” is more of a ballad. With laid-back and sombre verses, the tune gets more stompy along the way and the chorus is effective and in-your-face still on a laid-back note. It’s quite smooth and slick yet also rhythmic and since the guitars are at the frontline here it also holds all syrup at bay. The refrain is faultless and it’s here where Oliver’s Steve Perry influence really shines through. Good song. The mid-paced Melodic Rock tune “Across The Street” takes a heavier route with some chunky riffing on a solid, tough rhythmic foundation. The verses are on the smooth side with clean guitars and a softer approach while said guitars turns more gritty with a meaty crunch. A big, memorable main-melody and an even bigger, direct refrain makes the tune a winner – very good.
The album’s big ballad is called “Don’t Come Easy” and even though it flirts with power balladry because of its slick and polished outlook, this one also takes on a bluesier twist, giving it a Classic Rock touch – at least in the verses. It heavies up some in the big and bombastic chorus where the crunchy guitars are joined in by an astounding and soothing keyboard arrangement which makes the soundscape more grandiose and colorful. It’s also massively catchy. Why isn’t this a single yet? “Taxi Driver” is an edgy, guitar-driven rocker built on classic Hard Rock but also put s a bit of Melodic Rock into the mix. It’s energetic with raw, crispy guitars, a heavy rhythm section and a strong main-melody. There’s a softer vibe to the pre-chorus but with the big, catchy chorus it gets punchier again even though its vocal melody is on the AOR side. Good one.
“Distant Love” is just about as AOR as the title suggests. On an upbeat pace, the tune is smooth and silky with massive pop-hooks and the whole thing sports a Scandinavian AOR vibe. But its vocal-melodies are on the sullen and somber side which adds a pinch of melancholy to the otherwise uplifting melodies. On top, they bring an enormous chorus, so catchy it hurts. One of the album’s finest moments, no doubt. “Roundabout” brings the energy up a bit higher. On a rhythmic beat, crunchy and and edgy guitars, this straight-forward rocker brings on a meaty live-feel, energetic with a glowing spark. A main-melody and a boisterous, clean vocal arrangement that’s all about hooks treats us with a great deal of catchiness. Good one.
Second single “Road Of Dreams” is pretty obvious single-material. This is a dramatic yet smooth AOR-pop-rock number, upbeat with a really good piano arrangement that reminds me of Bon Jovi back in their glory daze. The tune contains a juicy pop-groove, a rhythmic bass-line and a mighty chorus that literally screams hit-single from beginning to end with catchy melodies all over the place. Really good stuff. “Hope Hill” throws a curve-ball right in our faces. Starting out with only acoustic guitar and vocals, the tune gets bigger and more dramatic with a big gospel-vibe and some surprising hallelujah’s in the big chorus. The soul-ish verses are slow on a ballad note but the chorus turns it into a huge arena-rocker with all the catchiness in the world. My favorite song off the album.
Landfall closes the album with the latest single “Sound Of The City”. This one’s is a straight-forward, concise and uptempo pop-rocker where Melodic Rock moves in with AOR. On a stompy groove carried by a solid rhythm, Oliver convincingly tells us that “if I close my eyes, the lights of the city keeps me alive” while throwing big hit-hooks and direct melodies our way. A smooth, catchy and slick but never sugary chorus is the last piece for the song to become one of the stand-outs on this record and with that, they bid their farewell for this time.
While I really couldn’t find much of the Dokken, White Lion and Extreme influences the press release told me about, there are clear nods to Journey and while I wouldn’t say Oliver is the dead ranger for Steve Perry, he do nick his phrasings from time to time. Musically, it’s true that they blends Hard Rock, Melodic and AOR but the emphasis lies on the two latter genres. While there are some damn good songs on here with only the occasional filler, the band doesn’t grab me all the way but that being said, the record is stronger than many of the new AOR releases of today. Production wise, it’s a bit too streamlined and polished and could benefit from a little more dirt under the fingernails but with a batch of good songs, no bad ones and really good musicians – and a killer singer – the future looks sharp for this Brazilian lot.
6/10
Tracklist:
1. Rush Hour
2. No Way Out
3. Jane’s Carousel
4. Across The Street
5. Don’t Come Easy
6. Taxi Driver
7. Distant Love
8. Roundabout
9. Road Of Dreams
10. Hope Hill
11. Sound Of The City
CD & Festival reviews 