It’s hard not to be impressed by Swedish multi instrumentalist and song writer Michael Palace. Not only has the guy been busy with writing four albums, including this one, with his own project Palace where he plays all instruments and sings since 2016, he has also been involved in lots of different projects and bands like Kryptonite, Houston, Find Me, The Murder Of My Sweet, Nevena and First Signal both as a musician and as a song writer. That’s a whole lot in only six years. How he can make time for that is of course because Palace is a studio-only project and with no touring he can concentrate on all this stuff.
The three previous albums has all been stellar efforts with no signs of a downfall or even weak songs at all – which is impressive to say the least. Palace works inside the AOR territory but contrary to many modern AOR releases, Palace has a sound of his own and because of that stands outside the whole thirteen-a-dozen bubble of Scandinavian AOR. Judging by the opening track and second single “Fifteen Minutes” we don’t have to worry about any quality dips or feelings of rush-job either. It’s a real pearl of a song, see. It’s AOR with 80’s pop-isms, slick and smooth but never syrupy at all. With clean guitars and prominent keyboards this upbeat song throws out hook after hook and a chorus made for the charts. Unescapable and oh so damn good.
Second single “Westbound” continues the uptempo beats and the 80’s AOR/Melodic Rock spirit with uplifting melodies and positive vibes. It’s more guitar-driven and the crunchy guitar riff is catchy as damn with the slightly funky bass lines giving the tune a live-friendly groove. It’s a total summer-song perfect for hot beach-days with cold beverages in hand. And yes, the chorus is a winner and grabs a hold from hello. “Too Old For This” takes a mid-paced yet upbeat road. Here the clean AOR meets up with big guitars and a spice of Classic Rock woven in. It’s a rhythmic rocker with poppier melodies and another hook-fest refrain. Very, very good indeed.
Palace keeps rocking things up with “Money Can Kill”, a Melodic Rock number with a far bigger Hard Rock orientation. The riff is fat and ballsy, the rhythm is edgier and the song brings on a live-vibe. It’s not Metal by any means but the verses are striking and crunchy while the mastodon chorus brings on a late 80’s Arena Rock twist with lots of hit-potential. Great. “The Driver” is a slow burner on a ballad note. It’s quite rhythmic on a chunky beat with a big guitar at the front but with smooth and easily embraced melodies all over and it sniffs around the border of power balladry. The chorus is a throwback to the big Arena Rock ballads with catchiness enough to sell. I’m a sucker for that kind of song so I say thumbs up.
More Hard Rock embracing AOR comes with the mid-tempo rocker “Time Crisis”. A song about mental health it goes for a punchy and edgy outlook even though the vocal melodies are smooth but there’s a darker kind of atmosphere lying over this track. Still it holds a crisp and distinct main melody and a refrain that sticks. Good one. Taking on a big mid 80’s approach, “Facing The Music” is presented with a large keyboard sound and a glossier production. The verses are slower paced with a laid-back vocal melody which creates a nice contrast to the upbeat and stark chorus that holds an infectious hook impossible to resist. Good one.
“World Gone Mad” is heavier and more gritty with a hard hitting rhythm and some rougher guitars. The tune gives a chunky live vibe which makes it a bit sad that Palace isn’t playing live at all. As a whole, it’s a pretty good tune but it really never takes off and the feeling of it working better live than on record is imminent. “Living The Life” starts out slower and even down-beat yet on a heavy and punchy rhythm with some tuned down guitars but sports a groovier chorus with a big and glossy main melody and slick vocal lines. It’s a bit of a left turn though as the song brings on a bit of a modern Rock touch and power-pop moments. It’s a good song but it really doesn’t linger for too long.
“Cancel The Flight” is more of what we’re used to from Mike. It’s an upbeat and smooth Melodic Rock stomper with lots of 80’s AOR meets American Arena Rock melodies and a massive refrain that holds more hooks than a fisherman’s hat. The clean keyboard intro with an added saxophone also brings 80’s action/comedy movie soundtrack to mind. Great stuff. The album closes with the slow, melancholic and dreamy ballad “Loneliest Night”, an emotional number with lots of acoustic guitars, a darker atmosphere and a steady beat. There’s an intense poppiness in the melodies which makes the tune slick yet never cheesy and the memorability is prominent throughout the song. Very good indeed.
Apart from a couple of songs that doesn’t reach all the way to the top I really can’t find anything to complain about here. Just like on the three previous records, Palace does almost everything right. Sure, this is AOR with the 80’s as the template so no, it’s not original and new but the fact is, Palace has his own style and identity and even though the genre has been done before many times it’s easy to spot that this is a Michael Palace production. If AOR isn’t your thing then don’t bother but if it is then it would be a mistake not to check it out. Because quality never goes out of style.
8/10
More Palace reviews:
Master Of The Universe
Binary Music
Rock And Roll Radio
Tracklist:
1. Fifteen Minutes
2. Westbound
3. Too Old For This
4. Money Can Kill
5. The Driver
6. Time Crisis
7. Facing The Music
8. World Gone Mad
9. Living The Life
10. Cancel The Flight
11. Loneliest Night
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