H.E.A.T. – Into The Great Unknown
I must admit, I've always
looked forward to a H.E.A.T. release. They are one of the few more modern melodic
rock bands that could fit in AND hold their own in the BN* or BG* era of music
(*Before Nirvana and Before Grunge!). Especially since Eric Grönwall came on
board, as this fella is a whirlwind of energy.
I can’t believe it’s been
3 years since ‘Tearing Down The Walls’ was released! Where bands like BCC go
into the studio and write and record 23 songs in 36 hours, 'Into The Great Unknown'
took place over a period of 18 months, so I’m expecting great things. Dave
Dalone/ Sky Davids is back in the mix, not exactly replacing Eric Rivers, more
or less returning like your favourite armchair.
‘ITGU’ opens up with the
wonderfully titled ‘Bastard Of Society’ and its like a Ferrari ripping through
a sheet of glass at breakneck speed. Grönwall sounds the best he ever has.
Marry his operatic vocals with some guitar shredding theatrics and a kick-ass
chorus, and trademark harmonies and it’s off to a perfect start. Redefined is
almost subdued in comparison, but is still effective. If 'BOS’ was great, then
’Shit City’ wins the naming stakes. Its full of their youthful ‘piss n vinegar’
even tough they are not kids anymore. It has a chorus for arenas and the
disaffected masses.
’Time On Our Side’ is the
polar opposite of 'Shit City', a positive and uplifting vibe, that just drives
along at pace and is a personal favourite (so far). ‘Best Of The Broken’ takes
a while to get going, and its a case of ‘fuck the verse, lets get to the
chorus’ as this is where the meat and potatoes are. ‘Eye Of The Storm’ is
grandiose and sees Grönwall reaching for his falsetto and sounding pretty
magnificent. It's Eurovision rock at its finest, and is one for the H.E.A.T. fans to
devour. ‘Blind Leads The Blind’ has taken its opening synth salvo from 'Tarot
Woman' methinks, which is no bad thing. It's what you would define as Scandi
metal and it’s running through BLTB like a stick of rock! ‘We Rule’ takes its
charm and lead from Queen. It has snippets of ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ and
just builds to a huge climax (F’narr!). Queen would love a song like this to
perform. With the wonderful lyric ‘Is the turbulence that cause my mind to spin
like a sex train off the rails’, ’Do You Want It’ is built for the live stage
and would easily submit to being an extended mix dance track.
If H.E.A.T. have gone out
of their comfort zone to make ‘ITGU’ then look no further than the
seven-and-a-half minute closing track ‘Into The Great Unknown’. If they were
aiming for their very own ‘Blackbird’, ‘Heaven and Hell’ or Stargazer’, then
H.E.A.T. have achieved it. They have thrown all they can at it, it even borders
on prog.
All the H.E.A.T. guys
have pulled one out of the bag, and even producer Tobias Lindell deserves a
special mention.
Why write and submit 17 songs for an album
when you can write 10 sticks of dynamite (well the 10th song is more of a force
10). Its a different H.E.A.T. to what you are used to, but once you embrace the
difference, its all for the better.
Basically I can sum it up
like this….if you thought that ‘Address The Nation’, or ‘Tearing Down The
Walls’ were their creative peak, then you’re so wrong. This eclipses everything
and it’s their most complete album to date. Going back to my physics and
chemistry lessons, H.E.A.T. rises!
Score 90/100
Tracklisting -
Bastard Of Society
Redefined
Shit City
Time On Our Side
Best Of The Broken
Eye Of The Storm
Blind Leads The Blind
We Rule
Do You Want It?
Into The Great Unknown
H.E.A.T.
Eric Grönwall - Vocals
Sky Davids - Guitar
Jimmy Jay - Bass
Jona Tee - Keys
Crash - Drums &
Percussion
