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.

Rock Blog #41: Sisters Doll, Majestica, Perfect Plan, Ginger Evil, Avantasia

 It's been a while again, and the "to be checked"-list of new albums is getting longer every week. Time to work on it!

SISTERS DOLL. Must be a  Swedish sleaze/glam band, right? That was my initial reaction, and I also thought I had heard them before and crossed them off my list. Then a song of theirs was on Spotify's "new releases" playlist, it sounded good and I checked who it was... ahh, Sisters Doll... let's see... they're Australian? Okay... and they've got three albums out, none of which I've actually heard. The band consists of 4 Mileto brothers and "Scars" (RRRR) is their latest effort, released in January 2025. It reached a very respectable #11 position on the Autralian album chart, considering that rock isn't exactly mainstream these days. My "Swedish sleaze" reaction isnt't completely off the mark, as the band's sound has something in common with that particular scene. There's a certain melancholic undertone in their songs too, which reminds me of the Finnish bands like HIM and Negative. I might thrown in Black Veil Brides as well. What else...The ballad "First Time" captures the sound of 1990 quite well, when the glam bands had begun to tone down their image and made black and white videos for their semi-acoustic slow songs. "Take You Away" moves into the direction of Harem Scarem and Winger, while "Kiss Me" is more in the Butch Walker vein. All this might sound like a bit of a mixed bag, but somehow it isn't. Good stuff!

Tommy Johansson is known for his YouTube metal covers, his stint in Sabaton and various bands and projects. A profilic musician indeed. One of his longest-standing bands is MAJESTICA.  The band was previously called ReinXeed, but in 2019 they decided to get a new start and changed the name. "Power Train" (RRRr) is Majestica's third album. This is a textbook example of a modern day power metal album - symphonic elements, soaring vocals, ultra-fast beats, chest-beating choruses and much more. You'll hear touches of many of the icons of power metal - Sonata Arctica, Helloween, Sabaton to name a few.  What's missing are the standout songs to raise this to the next level. The title track and "A Story In The Night" are the closest contenders. I like it but don't love it... then again, if you're a fan of the genre, you're most likely to love it.

PERFECT PLAN's previous album "Brace For Impact" wasn't a disappointment as such, but it kind of fell through the cracks. With "Heart Of A Lion" (RRRRr) the band returns to the frontline of Scandinavian AOR. The album is a tribute to the classic bands of the eighties - Survivor, Foreigner, Journey etc. but with a muscular contemporary production. The "singles" released before the album were all very good, but interestingly my favourite track isn't among them this time: "Ready To Break" is a gem hidden in the middle of the album. Anyway, there's not much to fault here really, we're mostl likely talking about a Top 10 album for this year. I just hope that vocalist Kent Hilli's other project GIANT doesn't overshadow this album once it's released.

GINGER EVIL is a new Finnish band, and their album "The Way It Burns" (RRR) is a departure from the usual Frontiers releases. The band plays modern rock that reminds me of The Foo Fighters, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Anouk. Compared to some other modern rock acts, they have a rather organic sound and an exceptionally good vocalist in Ella Tepponen. Their songwriting may be a little too grungy/alt. sounding for my taste, but they're certainly very good at what they do. Check out "Dead On Arrival" or the moody "Arrowhead". The latter is a cover of a song by Finnish singer/songwriter J. Karjalainen. To put it mildy, I don't really care for his music. Ginger Evil have managed to turn this song into something that I enjoy, which is something of a miracle!

I'm really looking forward to seeing AVANTASIA live for the first time in April, and Tobias Sammet's latest opus "Here Be Dragons" (RRRR) has been in powerplay in my stereo and headphones. I've always liked Sammet's way of writing melodies, and this album is yet another testament to that. Once again the album features many guest stars: Geoff Tate, Bob Catley, Tommy Karevik, Michael Kiske, Roy Khan, Ronnie Atkins, Kenny Leckremo and Adrieanne Coven.  The songs range from fast power metal tracks to melodic rock, with a big, somewhat Queen-like ballad closing the album. My favourite tracks are on the first half of the album, the second half isn't quite as strong, therefore only four R's.