Wheels of Fire
Up For Anything

Wheels of fire burning strongly in the world of melodic rock perhaps, the italian quintet has managed one critically acclaimed album and now they have just released their second album called Up For Anything. So let us have a look at what they are up to these guys, one thing we can see is that they have not managed the best looking album cover I have ever seen but the guest list is another matter. It is one impressive guest list with many of the who’s who of the AOR world so that looks very much interesting and with all these skilled people can it go wrong? yes it can and I have seen it happen many times but this time it does not go wrong, it goes very right.

Musically it is not the most innovative kind of music I have ever heard, it is traditional AOR with their own nice flair of variation and fascination. A tried and tested concept is what they adhere to and that means melodic rock with catchy choruses, clever keys and arrangements and a skilled vocalist who at times sings duets with some genre big wigs. It is a well produced album that shows all that is good with the genre and not even the 54 minutes of playing time over the thirteen tracks feels like a problem as they do what they do so very well, impressive you could even say if you want to. We get a lot of good stuff from all around the genre with horns in a song and with a great catchy piano rocker Nothing to Lose and a whole lot more than that as well. You could say that this is taking the AOR genre and doing it very close to as good as it can be made.

I must say that this is one impressive album, it is catchy, clever, varied and exciting while being familiar it still manages to feel rather fresh and exciting even though we recognise everything. It is a great album and surely one of the best albums of 2012 I would say, and that is because of what I have already said along with the fact that all thirteen of the tracks are really good and the album has no real weak points. The 54 minutes fly by like no time at all and the only thing is that you can complain about is that the album offers nothing new to the table but that is probably only something you can use if you really dislike the genre in this particular case since this album is absolutely flawlessly performed and with clever song and good variation it will entertain you for its entire playing time. And on top of that it is an album that warms your heart a day like this when it is around -26°C outside.

It is clear from the get go that this album will show you no mercy which also happens to be the title of one of my favourite tracks of this album, I also particularly like the third track Turning up the Radio and the following track called Pain. These are tracks that make you want to return to this album over and over again and that is something I will keep doing from time to even though this album is now reviewed and put away. So, for the sixth time this year I award a new album a rating of six and proclaim this an album that you have to get if you consider yourself a connoisseur of a genre called AOR. I can only say that this is a brilliant album that has a touch of commercial sound that would get you to want to turn up your radio had it been played there, but that is enough said as you should hear it for yourself.