Label: AORHeaven 2021
Review by: Urban "Wally" Wallstrom
Art Of Illusion - This is what you get when you reject +100 name suggestions and merely end up combining the band monicker' of Anders Rydholm's GRAND ILLUSION and Lars Säfsund's WORK OF ART. Indeed. The two Super-Swedes, Rydholm (keyboards, bass, rhythm guitars) and Säfsund (lead and background vocals, keyboards) are trying to map their way to success while using ultra soft melodies and the title of "X Marks The Spot". Shouldn't be too difficult? The debut album is available from AOR-Heaven in Germany, the original home of schlager, and you'll find plenty of theatrical symphonic rock/pop overtures here. It's basically a mish-mash of their Swedish acts and everything from Freddy Mercury (Queen), Jim Steinman (Meat Loaf), Jim Peterik (Survivor), Robby Valentine, Mika, Big Money, to Andrew fookin' Lloyd Webber!?
Blimey. AOI have not gone totally kitsch, but they have gone for less prog than Grand Illusion and more daytime drama than Work Of Art. It's as camp as an endless row of tents at the world AOR-Scout jamboree. Indeed. The founder of the AOR movement saw a need for a gathering of representatives of fluffy music from all around the world. The general aim was to foster a worldwide brotherhood, and to help the young AOR-sters in the movement learn about other peoples and nations by direct interaction with them. Ehem. Yeah? Nah. Back on track. It's sometimes as if you're inside the AOR musicial or the big Disney production version of AOR?
Feeling slightly disappointed at first play. Make no mistake though. It's an album that grows with each and every spin up to a certain point of course. Rydholm love musical kind of humor and lyric-wise, you have songs about going to Rome in Italy, to eat yourself to death. Who doesn't love Italian food? One song (Waltz For The Movies) is about a movie projectionist dreaming of the past and speak of long-gone, black and white heroes on the silver screen, and reek of Mika and Mercury music to the extreme. Another about the fear of being a Gladiator. The song "My Loveless Lullaby" is about love from a loser/virgin male kind of perspective. Tracks such as "Wild and Free", "Snakebite Charm", "Catch You If I Can" and "Rampant Wildfire" are the real highlights of the album as it's straightforward and fun uptempo AOR compositions. "4 AM" should please the Peterik fan and "Go" is a walk in the park. Final verdict: To keep the film theme going. Overall just a wee bit too much drama and not enough action. Then again. Michael Jackson wrote a song about "Thriller" and did the "Horror" movie-video to go along with the hit? I'm sure it's all down to personal taste and plenty of folks are going to enjoy the pompous melodies. Art Of Illusion at Facebook
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