Angeline - Confessions |
Published March 29 2010
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Pray! |
| Genre | Melodic Hard Rock/AOR |
Jocke Nilsson
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Vocals
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| Tracks | 12 |
Jocke Nilsson
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Guitar
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| Runningtime | 50 Min. |
Janne Arkegren
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Guitar
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| Label | Self released |
Uffe Nilsson
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Bass
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| Release | 19 February 2010 |
Tobbe Jonsson
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Drums
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| Country | Sweden |
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Keyboard
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| Similar artists | Giant, Truth, Born Electric, Treat | ||
This is actually an old 80s band (formed in 1987) reunited, revamped and back in business. They released the vinyl EP "Don't Settle For Second Best" in 1990, a pretty good platter for its time. Four years later the EP "Rain" was unearthed, now rockin' a bit harder, sounding a bit reminiscent of Skid Row. After some silence they have now returned with a vengeance. Bloody hell, this is one great statement if any!
The line-up hasn't changed. Well, to be honest they've lost the lead-singer in favour of guitarist Jocke Nilsson now taking over the vocals, too. I tell you one thing - good move indeed! Jocke has a great voice. He's not a high pitcher or a growler, but a melodic great sounding singer. The music has also changed a bit. What I find interesting is the way they blend almost poppy harmonies with biting bluesy Strat-neck-pickup-geetars.
There are some crunchy, outstanding riffs on this record, mixed with crystal clear AOR parts. I do like AOR, and I LOVE crunchy riffs played Strat-neck-pickup. Album opener "Pray!" shows the way in the first seconds, opening with the aforementioned crunchy guitar and a nice riff. If you're into the first Giant album and the way Dan Huff mixed his raw riffing with solid melodies, this is definitely the album for you. Second track "Another Night" is very pop in the chorus, but still delivers these cool riffs in the verse. It at times made me think of the way King's X guitarist Ty Tabor writes his songs.
"Fuel To The Fire" sounds very reminiscent of Swedish band Truth (solo project of Sven Cirnski of Bad Habit) with more solid Hendrixy riffing mixed with a very melodic chorus. I really like these guys' recipe. I shall admit that some choruses, like in the title track, is actually on the verge of being way too pop for me, but somehow it does work. They actually remind me quite a lot of another, long lost, Swedish band called Born Electric, especially in the track "Rock Of Ages", which leans on the band's heavy edge. I can also hear some elements of Treat in their heavier "Organized Crime" era. I do hope some bigger label picks this band up as they have the capacity and quality to do really good!
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Performance
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Originality
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Production
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Vocals
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Songwriting
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8 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
8,5 |
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Summary
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8,5 chalices of 10 - Stark |
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