Rock Blog #42: Ray Of Light, Mantric Momentum, Blue Ambition, Lordi

The overwhelming flood of new albums continues, and I just try to keep my head above water, so let’s dive in (?!)…

I already mentioned RAY OF LIGHT and their debut album ”Salute” (RRRR) a while ago. I compared them to Harem Scarem, and I stand by that statement. Check out their ”namesake song” ”Ray Of Light” - that’s very much like ”Mood Swings”-era Harem Scarem.  The band has its’ roots in Frontline, the German band who released cult classic albums such as ”Heroes” and ”The State Of Rock” back in the nineties. Knowing that, I can hear traces of Frontline in some of the songs, and there’s actually one called ”Frontline” here! The UK-based vocalist Gregg Cromack has a different type of voice to that of Frontline’s Stephan Kaemmerer, but I can imagine him singing Frontline's songs with ease. So, if a hybrid of Harem Scarem and Frontline sounds like your kind of thing, check out Ray Of Light. Oh yeah, you could add Foreigner to the list, "Best Of Me" borrows some vocal melodies shamelessly from a classic song of theirs... let's see if you can spot them, because the song itself is quite different.

MANTRIC MOMENTUM is another name I think I mentioned too. This Norwegian metal band is a continuation of sorts of Theodor Tuff I believe, and "Alienized" (RRRRr) is their second album. This is the kind of metal that appeals to me -  anthemic, melodic, powerful. Think Nocturnal Rites, Masterplan, maybe even Pink Cream 69... each song has a strong hook and clever arrangement, and Terje Harøy (Pyramize) sings like a metal god. Excellent stuff! Highlights: "A Stronger Stance", "Alienized", "Resilience". The band name is a bit of a mouthful though!

BLUE AMBITION is a new project by Frédéric Slama, who has released several albums under the "AOR" monicker. He has enlisted Tommy Denander to provide a lot of the instrumentation, while Robbie LeBlanc (Find Me, Blanc Faces) is the vocalist. 

I've heard many of the AOR (the project) albums, and while they've been pleasant enough, they haven't really captured my attention for long. “Seduction Of The Innocent” (RRR) is somewhat similar, but it does have its moments. "Holding On To You" and "Wired Angel" are among best songs I've heard from Slama, but towards the end the album falls into the bland sea of pleasantness.

LORDI, the rock monsters from Finland are back with "Limited Deadition" (RRRR), their latest album. As the title might suggest, there's a theme of collecting memorabilia, vintage toys etc, with several advertisement-styled interludes between the songs.

This could have been the best Lordi album of all time, if the chorus hooks had been just a little bit more sharper and melodic. Don't get me wrong, there are some monster choruses here (what else!), but also a few that leave me wanting more. Take "Killharmonic Orchestra" for example - it gets a flying start but the chanting is just confusing. Then again, I pretty much like all of the songs, except for "Syntax Terror", which is the album's heaviest and least melodic song.