Already after the first track Gates Of Fire I was totally blown away by Peter Sundell’s vocals! I mean, I have heard him before and I do have the band’s previous releases, but either I’ve forgotten just how good he is or he’s brought it up a notch here. He truly sings his ass off, bringing out notes higher than Mount Everest! Grand Illusion is nothing for fans of metal, 70s heavy rock or stoner. If you on the other hand have a soft spot for bands like Journey, Airborne, Sheriff, Trillion, Touch, Styx (from whom I presume the band name was taken – one of the best pomp albums ever) or high class pompy AOR in general, this one’s for you. Grand Illusion is a Swedish trio comprised of musical multi-genius Anders Rydholm, singer Peter Sundell and backing vocalist Per Svensson. At their hand on this album they have killer musicians such as drummer Greg Bisonette and a bunch of really great guitars from Steve Lukather, Tim Pierce, Jay Gradon and Muris Varajic. The songs are very well arranged with lots of twists and turns, still with infectious choruses. Even though we’re talking melodies all over the place, there are some quite biting guitars. Just check out the awesome riffing in the title track. I won’t go into every track, it’s kinda no point since there’s not a weak track on the entire album! If you intend to purchase only one AOR album this year, well, no need to look further!
Janne Stark
Label: AOR Heaven
Year: 2011
Country: Sweden
Link: http://www.grand-illusion.se/
Bellissimo album di hard rock, aor. Melodia e metal abilmente miscelato.
ReplyDeleteDi: inquietudinedikobal