Alien
Eternity

Not really that Alien. What this Swedish AOR band has to offer that is. Their new album Eternity is the sixth album of the band and the first since 2005, this from a band that started all the way back in 1986 so they are getting close to 30 years now. That means that the band members are way older than me, which is not good for them of course but they should have a lot of musical experience these days. They did have some success back in the day and after a bit of an hiatus they are back and this time with the original line up. Fun for those who liked the debut perhaps, but what about this new album?

Well, I do not think you need to be any kind of genius to know how it sounds. Think AOR, think eighties, think modern production, think classic rock singer not the high pitched one, if you think all that you are there, that is how they sound. They offer us an impressive production, the typical variation of songs with some uptempo ones, midtempo ones and some ballads. Well, if you are looking for originality I think you are looking at the wrong band because these guys have none of it. You could count more or less any of the eighties melodic rock bands as similar, which would probably mean that they have a wide appeal and their album could have sold in millions, if promoted well enough some twenty-five years ago.

It may sound like I am dismissing the band now, but I am not. I am only stating what is mostly obvious when dealing with AOR, you will have heard it all before, many times. So if you are like me, looking for new expressions you will never really be able to find it amazing because it has been done before too many times. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t find it good though because it is very good, the songs are overall very strong even though I thoroughly hate the ballad I Believe which sounds like a ballad out of any AOR album ever released and I have heard those so many times now that they are just dull no matter how well made they are. The speedy songs are much better, like Summer of Love and Love Will Lead Me Home. The album could also have ended better but looking at all aspects and considering how well this album holds up to repeated listens, I would say it is great, just skip the ballads every other playthrough.

Can I recommend Alien then? Yes, I can. I think it will appeal to most people, it is certainly good enough and inoffensive enough to work in almost any person’s musical experience. I like it, and I have played it many times so I can say that it is very well made and it is very good despite some not so exciting hiccups. If you like AOR you should not overlook this album, it will me a moment of joy. Alien does very well, Sweden and AOR seems to be a very good combination, as exemplified here on this great album.

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