MYLAND: "Light Of A New Day"

Rating: 7/10

Label: Point Music 2011

Review by Alan Holloway

A couple of years ago I was very impressed by Myland’s last album “No Man’s Land”, an incredibly polished effort that took several cues from Journey. The brainchild of Paulo Morbini, Myland was more of an Italian rock super group rather than a fixed concern, and so this new CD sees a different line up under the same name, with Paulo still banging away at the drums and also (I assume - info is rather stingy) writing the music.

The big hook for Myland last time was the soaring vocals of Guido Priori, which courted the Journey comparisons but also brought life to the songs. This time round we’re introduced to Franco Campanella, who has a slightly high pitched vocal style but with a throaty rasp on top. Although at first I found it hard to see this as a Myland album, the music gradually overcame any reservations, and once I had got used to Camponella as vocalist I was able to enjoy it for what it is - a quality melodic rock album. Although there’s still a very polished feel to it, the songs have at times been beefed up a bit from the previous album, with tracks such as “Never Stop Screaming Rock” and “Hey You” throwing in crunchier guitars and a punchy style that is more suited to the new vocalist. Through it all, it is still very apparent that Morbini is a very talented songwriter who understands just what goes into a good melodic rock song.

“Light Of A New Day” is another example of the high quality of melodic rock that seems to be flooding out of Italy these days. For my money it’s not as good as Myland’s last album, although when it peaks it does so with style, and there are no bad tracks to be seen.

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