The Hard Place #4
It’s dark. You blink your eyes to try and take in some light but you realise that there is only black. You can barely move, surrounded by rock on all sides. Your heart races but then suddenly you realise you’ve been here before. Yes, you have come again to The Hard Place; you’re not sure how it happened but here you are. Here, and only here, will you satisfy your (understandably secret) desire to discover the very finest new things in the big-haired realm of melodic rock. Relax now, and let us show you the way…
We begin with Sweden’s melodic rock darlings Creye who, having impressed with their self-titled debut in 2018, are set to return in the new year with their second full-length release. Following in the solid rock tradition carved out by Queen, Van Halen, and er, Hardline, they have decided to give their sophomore effort the enigmatic title ‘II’. The band have released a trio of singles well ahead of the album’s release and while ‘Siberia’ may skate a little close to the disco edge for comfort, high-octane rocker ‘Face to Face’ is undeniably solid, as is the fabulous ‘Carry On’, which rivals the best work of H.EA.T. or, dare I say it, the mighty Europe. Both the installation of new frontman August Rauer and a heavy touring schedule through 2019 have clearly tightened the band’s chemistry and focussed their sound, so it seems as if Creye are very much on the up.
Now then, nothing says The Hard Place quite like the new single from Phantom Elite. ‘Diamonds and Dark’ is taken from their second LP, ‘Titanium’, due in January 2021 and it really is quite the beast. The band, formed by Dutch guitarist Sander Gommans (known for his work in After Forever and HDK) are fronted by the Brazilian vocalist Marina La Torraca and the upcoming album will be their first for the Frontiers label. Fusing the best elements of prog, symphonic metal and melodic rock, ‘Diamonds and Dark’ is immense without feeling too overblown and bombastic. It has energy, passion, musical precision and - crucially - a great chorus. This song has also gone some way to restoring my faith in hard rock videos - most of which are staggeringly bad these days - with the director opting simply to stick the band in a vast landscape and let them rock until the sun goes down. Job done.
I wonder, can you imagine arriving thirty years late to a party that was never going to be cool in the first place? The host wants your band to play and you’ve agreed but neglected to disclose your love of Huey Lewis and that you have a full-time sax player. Hold on to that image and allow us to introduce you to Danish seven-piece Boys From Heaven, who have just released their unashamedly unhip debut LP, The Great Discovery, through Target Records. The band have been honing their sound for a couple of years and, on standout track ‘Convictions’, they blend a Toto-ish rock punch with west coast-infused soul - think early ‘90s acts like Toys Of Joy and Big Talk. Boys From Heaven may be the very definition of unfashionable but that doesn’t stop them being really rather good at what they do. Also in their favour is their sense of fun (check out the non-video for ‘Green Fields’) and their (possibly fatal) refusal to adhere to hard rock archetypes. This is a band that a certain type of hard rock fan will not be able to resist, though they will never openly admit having heard. But I won’t tell if you don’t. And yes, the sax breaks are awesome.
We come full circle back to Sweden now and finish with the preposterously talented Michael Palace of - wait for it - Palace, who have a new record out on December 4th. Palace’s first two outings, 2016’s Master Of The Universe and 2018’s Binary Music, both received rave reviews and album number three, Rock and Roll Radio, promises more of the same textbook melodic rock. The LP’s first two singles ‘Way Up Here’ and ‘Castaway’ reveal a slightly fluffier, more keyboard-heavy AOR approach but fear not, guitar lovers, Mr Palace’s playing is still very much in the spotlight and everything is delightfully in order. I would tell you more but I have to go now and finish my academic media studies paper analysing the music video for ‘Way Up Here’, which is clearly a post-Romantic comment on the mental health impact of global lockdown. What is the significance of the blindingly white trainers? Who is the female driver and where is she going? Does Michael Palace really work for NASA? So many questions...
One question you must not ask, of course, is why and how you came today to the Hard Place. It is better that you (and your loved ones alike) never know. What is important is that you were here and, for a little while at least, you rocked - and you rocked hard. We are glad that you made it through to the foot of the page; it makes us feel a little less alone. See you next time for more things harder and, quite probably, more things rocker.
The Hard Place is a Rich Barnard production for Red Guitar Music.
You have reached The Hard Place. A place where the hair is just a shade more voluminous. A place where the trousers are, on average, two belt holes tighter. A place wherein it is perfectly normal for guitars to begin spontaneously spewing fireworks. Or lightning. Or both. We bring you the choicest, freshest cuts of retro-metal on offer. And, in a scene where wrongness so often prevails, The Hard Place offers a distillation of all that is currently right with the world of melodic hard rock. Quite a lot of it is, as you might expect, from Sweden.