As a big fan of AOR and Melodic Rock, I must admit that many – too many – of the new bands and records of the last ten years or so in the genre has been underwhelming. Same song-structure, same sound, same production. At times it has even been hard to tell some acts apart. But there are always exceptions. Swedish act Arctic Rain is one of those exceptions. The band – Tobias Jonsson (vocals), Magnus Berglund (guitars), Gert Daun (bass), Jörgen Jönsson (drums) and Pete Alpenborg (keyboards), the latter known as a song writer who has contributed lots to many projects from the Frontiers label – knocked me out back in 2020 with a Melodic Rock/AOR album that sounded fresh and vital and while not revolutionary by any means, they sported a personal sound with shitloads of great songs.
Three years later there has been a personnel shift within the band where both Alpenborg and Jönsson left Jansson, Berglund and Daun to their own devices. The duo have been replaced by Kaspar Dahlqvist (keyboards) and Richard Tonyson (drums). With the debut album in the back of my mind I wondered how the absence of especially Alpenborg would affect the band since he guy is known as a solid song writer. Opener “One World” that opens with some almost tribal drumming tells me all worries are unnecessary. It’s a darker piece than expected, quite heavy with Hard Rock guitars. The song starts out slower and even low-key with big, pompy keyboards but goes into a faster pace, quite in-your-face with a distinct melody hook and a catchy refrain. The blending of Hard Rock and AOR works like a charm.
The album’s first taster, the single and title-track is also in the heavier vein of Melodic Rock. It’s a mid-paced, powerful tune that brings on a fine blending of an edgy and tough rhythm and a firey guitar riff and some more usual Melodic Rock tricks like the big “whoa”‘s in the pre-chorus. It’s slightly progressive with a pumping bass over a smooth keyboard-carpet with a huge chorus with a shitload of catchiness. Very good. Latest single “Fire In My Eyes” is a really crunchy rocker that blasts away with edgy and fierce guitars but also with some slicker keyboards and embracing vocal-melodies. It’s a kicking hard-rocker but with a big, distinct and AOR-ish refrain. Good one.
“Peace Of Mind” is much more in the AOR-vein of the debut. It’s upbeat and uptempo, quite straight ahead with a clean but prominent guitar and glossy yet pomp-laden keyboards. We get hooky melodies in both verse and chorus and the catchiness here is monumental. Bands like Perfect Plan, Out Of This World and Last Autumn’s Dream comes to mind here. A killer track that should be a single. “Laughing In The Rain” is a mid 80’s sounding, AOR-ish Arena Rock stomper that screams 1986 a long way. It’s a fun-loving, happy-go-lucky pop-rock tune with knife-sharp hooks and a captivating refrain that’s made of super-glue. Another single to be? It’s splendid, see.
“Believe” is a mellow ballad, quite melancholic with a saddening atmosphere. At six minutes and a slow tempo based on piano with a string-like keyboard arrangement with smooth melodies on a good beat, it’s a real Arena Rock lighter-in-the-air ballad. It do sport some more rhythmic parts as well and a massive chorus but I’d still call it a powerful ballad more than a power ballad. Damn good. “Out Of Time” takes a more uptempo path on a stompy groove but is very big on the AOR with its slick keyboards and big pop-hooks. The chunky bass-lines gives the song a nice groove and the big refrain throws an 80’s catchiness our way. Good one.
The energetic and driving “Kings Of The Radio” is a rough-edged riffy and crunchy AOR meets Classic Rock stomper, uplifting and positive with a big summer-vibe. It reminds me some of Kiss’ 80’s Arena Rock stuff in its melody-structure but also brings on a stomp-friendly rhythm, chuggy metal-flirting riffage and the guitar solo is on the neo-classical side that holds Yngwie Malmsteen’s melodic 80’s flag high. On top there are fine-tuned and quite smooth vocal-melodies with an intense and catchy refrain as the icing on the cake. It’s another track that could very well have been released as a single. Good one.
On the slicker and glossier side, “When We Were Young” is a more traditional AOR number that takes the sound back to the debut. It’s quite fluffy and easily embraced but it also builds on a raunchy Hard Rock riff and a tough rhythm. The big chorus is very mid 80’s AOR with a sugary outlook. It’s a pretty good song but just a little too sweetened for comfort. The same goes for the cuddly but straight ahead AOR-rocker “Time For A Miracle”. With laid-back and mellow verses the tune takes a bigger approach in the upbeat chorus, a chorus that really never hits the spot for me. It’s a decent soft-rock tune but I miss the big chorus-hook here.
The album ends on a slower note with the sort-of semi-ballad “The Road Goes On”. It’s quite a mellow and laid-back Melodic Rock number that still holds a juicy groove with a rhythmic rhythm-pattern. Piano, a delicate keyboards shares the space with a good, chunky and crispy guitars with vocal-melodies that are smooth and at times brittle. There’s a bombastic outlook in here that dwells inside quite a large soundscape and the song is close to power-balladry but at the same time it’s not. That said, it’s a very likable tune, easy on the ear and with a main-melody that grabs a hold right off the bat – and so does the mighty chorus. Very good.
As a whole, if you dug the debut then I see no reason why you wouldn’t dig this one as well. This record is a bit heavier and darker with a more Hard Rock laden structure but all the while every inch a Melodic Rock-AOR record. I still hold the debut a bit better as this one contains the odd filler but for the most part the record really delivers the goods with all the elements a record in this genre needs – big melodies, a good production, hooks and great musical performances. Also, Arctic Rain still stands out from most of the modern day bands that dwells within this genre.
7/10
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Tracklist:
1. One World
2. Unity
3. Fire In My Eyes
4. Peace Of Mind
5. Laughing In The Rain
6. Believe
7. Out Of Time
8. Kings Of The Radio
9. When We Were Young
10. Time For A Miracle
11. The Road Goes On
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