Sometimes it feels like the well of Scandinavian – and Swedish especially – AOR and Melodic Rock bands will never run dry. Year after year new bands are coming up for air and I can honestly admit, despite being a fan of said genres, that this particular market is starting to get full and that has been going on for some time. Even I am starting to go “oh man, not another one”. Also, add to the fact that too many of them really doesn’t bring all that much new and interesting stuff to the table anymore – the Scandinavian AOR sound is starting to eat itself, I’m afraid. That being said, once in a while a new band comes up with – without being revolutionary – something damn good. Perfect Plan is an example of a band who did just that and as long as that happens, I won’t be the one to count out Scandinavian AOR/Melodic Rock just yet and all new albums will be digested with an open mind.
The reason for this little rant is of course that this band, Arctic Rain, is one of those – a Swedish band that hangs around where AOR and Melodic Rock dwells. Yes, Arctic Rain is a new band but the members are hardly youngsters, no these are seasoned musicians and song writers with years and years of experience on their hands. The core of the band is keyboard-player Pete Alpenborg, guitarist Magnus Berglund and singer Tobias Jonsson who built the band around the songs the trio had been writing. Bassist Gert Daun and drummer Jörgen Jönsson joined up to complete the line-up and it was this five-piece who recorded this, their debut album. For you who like to geek around with your records and read all the credits, the name Alpenborg might sound familiar as he’s been contributing songs to acts like Revolution Saints, House Of Lords, Sunstorm, Kee Of Hearts and many more. A quality song-writer in other words.
Taking me by surprise, opener “Love Of My Life” (the title just screams ballad…) kicks off with a gritty riff that holds resemblance to Ozzy’s “Bark At The Moon”, pounding drums on a foundation of classic Hard Rock even though the accompanying keyboards smoothen things up some. On a fat, punchy beat, the song is guitar-driven and the tune is an energetic powerhouse with lots of hooky melodies and catchy deluxe chorus to die for. Wow. It’s a brilliant track but I didn’t think they would rock as roughly. Leading single “Lost” is both upbeat, straight forward and crunchy on a solid, driving rhythm but also both slick and smooth albeit never cheesy or sugary. With a steady groove, hooks everywhere and a massive Melodic Rock refrain, the song is a winner and deserves to be a big hit. Awesome stuff.
Second single “Friends” is a crafty, uptempo Melodic Rock stomper with some crunchy Hard Rock riffing on a punchy beat. The blending of smooth melodies and a monstrously catchy AOR-laden chorus and the gritty power of the music works splendidly and it’s really a mystery that rock-radio hasn’t picked it up. To these ears, this is damn hit. Very good. Slower in pace and so far the most pop-infested song – and I mean that in a good way – is “Night After Night”. It starts out laid-back and melancholic but on a slick arrangement, it gets both more upbeat on a straight-forward rhythm and brings on a groovy bass-line as well. A fast tracked guitar solo brings on a dynamic contrast and the chorus is just massive. Great.
“Free My Mind” is an uptempo ballad, not a far cry from Whitesnake’s “Is This Love”. It’s not a softie per se, more on the laid-back side with a big chorus-hook and some AOR-laden melodies. The floating, lush rhythm of the song makes me just flow along with its groove and the slick, polished melodies is impossible to get rid of – not that you’d want to. Brilliant. With verses on the laid-back side but a quite stompy rhythm, latest single – an “official audio” – “Give Me All Of Your Love” brings on even more hit-vibes as it’s a catchy and striking pop-rocker from start to finish. The keyboard sound might be both slick and silky right out of 1986 but on the other hand, we get some crispy guitars, a funky bass-line and punchy drums – and let’s not forget the enormous chorus. Love it.
“Life Me Up” is a juicy stomper that mixes some crunchy Hard Rock vibes with early 90’s Survivor like AOR – upbeat, uplifting (sic!) and hooky melodies that hits bullseye all over the place. It’s a sprightly and positive number where keyboards and guitars gets together in great symbioses. Another good number that’ll make the most sour bitter-head in a good mood. The album’s title-track is an 80’s smelling ballad that puts on a fine groove. It’s a slick and quite poppy AOR slow-tune with acoustic and electric guitars moulding together and even though the tune’s bases is AOR, it never becomes cheesy or saccharine. With a spot-on chorus, full of catchiness, I’d make this a single in the future. Very good.
“Breakout” is a sharp and consist 80’s Hard Rock burner in a faster pace and holds a solid, direct rhythm but also melodies with AOR arrangements and an even more mid 80’s synthesizer. It’s a meaty rocker with a grit-laden vocal from Jonsson and chunky live-feel that holds an effective refrain that sticks without going for a big hit-feel. A damn good song that’s more of an album-track than a potential single. “Madeleine” is the first dip on the album. Not a bad song per se but feels more like a standard, Scandi-AOR sounding pop-rocker, very slick, polished and a bit too much added sugar. I dig the blues-rock influenced groove but the keyboards are in domination which gets a bit overmuch. An ok tune, no more no less.
The album’s closing track is called “Take Me To Your Heart”, a song that has the album ending just as brilliant as it started. This one’s an uptempo AOR-rocker, upbeat and punchy albeit with more laid-back and quite slick verses, verses that reminds me of another classic AOR-band, Bad Habit. The song moves up to more ballsy rhythm where the guitars brings along some rasp which gives the tune an edgier vibe. While the tune is a powerful rocker there’s a dynamic contrast because of the very smooth keyboards and the big-hook melodies. The chorus is a mastodon – huge, colorful and sing-along laden. And catchy as Hell. A killer tune and a great way to close the album.
Without doing anything particularly new – this is, at the end of the day, a Melodic Rock album – these guys are firing on all cylinders with their debut album. A plus to the fact that their brand of Melodic Rock with AOR vibes is clearly based on classic Hard Rock where the focus seems to be on making the songs rock, something more bands within this genre should do. In turn, production-wise, they seem to have focused on lifting forward grit and edge which in turn making the polished, smooth and slick arrangements a non-syrup experience. But most importantly, the songs are great and memorable – and the band do sport their own identity. The only thing I don’t like about the record is the cover. Not that it’s ugly, it’s just mainstream and looks like lots of those Frontiers-project covers – I bet it’s the same guy who makes all of them – it just doesn’t stand out enough. But if the cover is the only thing to complain about, you have done something very right musically.
8/10
Tracklist:
1. Love Of My Life
2. Lost
3. Friends
4. Night After Night
5. Free My Mind
6. Give Me All Of Your Love
7. Lift Me Up
8. The One
9. Breakout
10. Madeleine
11. Take Me To Your Heart
CD & Festival reviews 