Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Grand Design
Label: Metal Heaven
Released: 2014
Runtime: 46:57
Rating: 3/5
The die-hard devotees of Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, Grand Design, with their Scandinavian knack for turning melody into reality, are back with a new album, »Thrill of the Night«.
Once again the record is packed with Def Leppard influences from the era when the late Steve Clarke was writing for them, and the classic Bon Jovi playbook creeps into those songs every now and then. There’s no deep philosophy with Grand Design. The Swedish perfectionists make exactly the kind of music they’re most confident and at home in, so the record is thoroughly, full-bloodedly tangible. No hide-and-seek here, even if authenticity gets sacrificed for it. Grand Design simply can’t do it any other way.
And yet. The album sucks you in instantly, it’s produced and recorded with that much commitment. Grand Design have thought of everything again. The record brims with infectiously AOR bombast! Musically it’s worked out down to the last detail, even if that’s often thanks to »ripping off« Def Leppard. The atmospheres are built up gradually into a chorus crescendo that will grab you by the ears and crawl under your skin. The phrases are, of course, contrasted with flirty rhythms, where the snare drum pops with a hefty, detonating punch. The album’s lead single Rawk ‘N’ Roll Heart Attack is an interesting collision of Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and Roxette, and really the album’s only detour! Otherwise, among newer bands, Grand Design’s approach to arranging resembles, say, the German-Scandinavian team-up Jaded Heart, with a huge production gap, of course. The flirting with Def Leppard gets downright blunt in places. When the Greatest Love of All Kicks In is flat-out a rewritten Hysteria. And since that still isn’t enough, it gets rewritten again in You’re the Only One. The vocals are harmonized to a T after the model of that very element that defined Def Leppard’s best records. So Grand Design are a party-time band from head to toe, and adding fuel to the fire is Pelle Saether’s high-flying vocal, aimed straight at the rafters, with that touch of cheekiness this style absolutely demands.
Def Leppard fans, listen up! If Def Leppard have let you down over the past two decades through artistic stagnation, Grand Design bring you a fresh band-aid for your wounded heart with the new album »Thrill of the Night«, even if there’s no original musical value in its artistic stance.
Lineup
Pelle – vocals
Janne – guitar
Dennis – guitar
Matte – bass
Magnus – drums
Production
Grand Design
Tracklist
1. U Got Me Good
2. Rawk n’ Roll Heart Attack
3. The Rush Is Gone
4. Outta 10
5. When The Greatest Love Of All Kicks In
6. Rip Iddup
7. Get Up N’ Love Someone
8. You’re The Only One
9. Who’s Gonna Rawk You Tonite
10. Thrill Of The Nite
