Artist: Final Frontier
Label: Escape Music
Release: 2006
This stuff is no joke! Perfect and warmly recommended for purists and worshippers of AOR rock -pure-blooded “eighties AOR rock. Final Frontier – the Canadians are back with their fourth album together. At first, “Freelight” was supposed to come out on Frontiers Records, but funnily enough, Frontiers Records found an excuse, claiming they were completely booked up with release dates for the end of 2006, arguing there were “more interesting” releases than the “Freelight” record. That’s of course only the label’s side of the story. The label in question can only hiccup over having let the band go, because it made Final Frontier jump to what is actually an excellent alternative: Escape Records, a label that is just as remarkably consistent in backing the tradition of AOR sounds.
With “Freelight,” Final Frontier stay firmly in the saddle. You can feel a strong influence of bands like Journey and Styx in the music. The Journey comparison comes mainly from the excellence of Rob Moratti’s vocals: basically pitched in the higher registers, powerful, decisive, and flat-out stunning in how he hits the highest notes without losing that commanding poise. The melody lines Rob uses in the verses also love to remind you of Steve Perry (ex-Journey).
In the same breath, “Freelight” is a notch tighter in melodic polish than its equally excellent predecessor “High Tension Wire” (high quality standards are really a constant with this band, the guys are simply melodic perfectionists). The atmospheric and perfectionist peak of the album is the mid-tempo track Foolish Pride!
As mentioned, the album breathes the legacy of the eighties, and yet the crystal-clear production, the instruments in perfect balance across the whole record, the explosive ultra-melodic vocals backed by an ideal blend of backing vocals reminiscent of Journey’s famous perfection, are all arguments that give a clear sense that the guys breathe and live together in harmony, with a distinctive pulse. The songs are even in quality, the riffs and motifs varied (read: the album rolls in high, dynamic waves), and the melodic instrumental support for Moratti only proves that mutual give-and-take between the musicians, which you could also call the band’s top-notch working chemistry. The solos are pure-blooded, classic, melodic balm for the ears, filigree-fine and flowing, built seamlessly into the compact form of the songs.
The band confirms its excellence in two punchy ballads, Someone’s Watching You and Nothing Is Easy For You, with a touch of classic Survivor. And the wound-up opening title track confirms the band’s positive spirit right away (“aural” lines like “let your freelight shine, over your head”), which actually characterizes the band’s whole musical identity immediately and in the best possible way! With the track Freelight, the album opens at an extremely high dynamic level that practically doesn’t let up until the first ballad-ish moment (the middle of the album).
It comes down to the Journey specifics you can feel in Final Frontier’s style. Rob Moratti and his vocal approach in particular have a big share in the band’s overall musical expression, and I think the latter is decisive for whether you warm to the band or not. That actually confirms that Final Frontier are (unintentionally) targeting a very narrow circle of listeners. It also radiates courage in following their own vision, with no trendy tricks built in, which is the fashion fad these days among similar melodic hard rock bands, with which Final Frontier might have tried to please the masses. The point is that they pleased themselves first. A real album for all AOR purists, great for winding down in the evening and for spinning in the car, especially on long hauls.
Line-up
Rob Moratti – vocals, backing vocals
Mladen – guitar (lead, rhythm), bass guitar, keyboards
Lawrence Falconer – guitar (lead)
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Kevin Howley – drums
Production
Final Frontier
Track list
1. Freelight
2. Dynamo
3. Foolish Pride
4. Only The Lonely
5. I Hope You Don’t Mind
6. Someone’s Watching You
7. All The Way
8. Nothing Is Easy
9. Lion’s Den
10. The Witches Mask
11. Half Way Home (bonus track)
12. Delia (bonus track)
Running time: 56.14
