Label: Frontiers Music Srl.
Release date: August 7, 2020
Production: Arctic Rain
Album length: 44.33 min
Genre: Melodic Rock/AOR
Rating: 8.5/10
Arctic Rain are a new melodic and hard rock band built around seasoned, battle-tested keyboardist Pete Alpenborg, who draws his inspiration from 80s AOR. The One is the group’s debut, released in early August on none other than the Italian label that’s pretty much the only one of any real size and visibility on the planet still tirelessly looking after the legacy of AOR and melodic rock.
Arctic Rain aren’t delivering a musical revolution, as you may have already gathered from the paragraph above. They keep the old-school revival alive and knock on the door of nostalgia for the golden eighties, when Foreigner, Def Leppard and Journey were shaking up the charts. The arrangements and melodies themselves often bring those very influential, commercially massive rock giants to mind (see the choruses of Madeleine, Free My Mind, Lost).
Scandinavians have always been considered superb songwriters in this genre. They carry a rich legacy (Talisman, 220 Volt, Renegade, Street Talk …), and these days there’s a decent crop of bands active, either brand-new and pretty popular (Eclipse, for example) or older ones that have come back to life, like Dalton or Treat. Arctic Rain may be a new band, but they’re made up of musicians with plenty of experience. Alpenborg is known for his razor-sharp ear and finely tuned sensibility, which is why he’s worked in the past with plenty of bands and artists who stand tall on today’s melodic rock world map, helping them get maximum musical payoff and the highest possible level of bombastic hookiness: Revolution Saints, House Of Lords, Issa, All 41, Toby Hitchcock, Sunstorm and Kee Of Hearts.
»The One« is a hugely likable, infectious melodic rock record. The production strikes a really pleasing balance, filling out the sound with a gentle drive carried by the guitar phrasing – which at moments picks up some sharpened heavy metal edges too. The grabby factor comes from the pompous use of vivid synth pads. The album sounds alive, dynamic, like a real »band«, and since the songs are written with a touch of flawless navigation through the range of musicality, they hook you right off the bat. They speak to you with ease and instant catchiness. Scandinavian perfectionism also demands a hefty dose of guitar solos in the middle eights, and this too is handled with great finesse and feel by guitarist Magnus Berglund. A very important weight on the scales is the vocals of Tobias Jonsson, a true representative of the Scandinavian school. He goes in mostly with clean vocals and high-octane musical explosiveness that dominates every register, and his vocal power and authoritative »dictating« of the verses never leave him in the lurch for a second. Jonsson’s voice is really the key ingredient in the album’s instant catchiness. Since Alpenborg and his crew are of course devoted to great precision and commitment, born of a strong sense of diligence and that proverbial Scandinavian perfectionism, all the songs are generously decked out with rich backing vocal harmonies (contrasting the choruses), which adds to the album’s pomp.
Even though hardly any Slovenes listen to this kind of music, »The One« is on the flip side full of perfection, meaning it lines up a nice selection of songs of consistently high quality. The album builds consistency and is convincing in every respect. The only catch is the realization that someone, somewhere, a long time ago, has already played all of this. Still, those lionhearted fans, sworn to the essentials of AOR and melodic hard rock, will find plenty of satisfaction, joyful fun and pleasure in »The One« as well.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Tracklist:
1. Love Of My Life
2. Lost
3. Friends
4. Night After Night
5. Free My Mind
6. Give Me All Of Your Love
7. Lift Me Up
8. The One
9. Breakout
10. Madeleine
11. Take Me To Your Heart
Lineup:
Tobias Jonsson – vocals
Pete Alpenborg – keyboards
Magnus Berglund – guitar
Gert Daun – bass guitar)
Jonas Jönsson – drums
