King Company
Trapped

Nice cover was a reflection I did when fixing the layout for this review, the third album by Finnish King Company certainly looks the part. Trapped is their debut on the AOR Heaven label, they did release two albums on Frontiers before. AOR Heaven may be a smaller label than Frontiers, but they seem to be paying more attention to their releases, I have no basis to tell if this is true or not, but it is the impression I get from how they promote the albums. This is the first album I really listen to with this band, they have a new singer again, I did listen to the previous album that I did download back when it was released, and I have to say that the new singer is probably a positive for them.

I don’t think you have too much trouble guessing what kind of music to expect, AOR Heaven release melodic rock albums. This is the heavier kind, with catchy choruses, strong focus on melodies. They are a bit similar to bands like Eclipse if I am to compare. The vocalist is good, as is the production, creatively I wouldn’t claim that there are any surprises. I like how they keep a slightly rougher edge to the sound, that is a positive, the variation is more or less as expected, and the playing time isn’t much different either but with nearly fifty minutes there is room for some trimming.

It starts really catchy with a hit song that draws you into the album, and then it doesn’t take too long before we get to Dangerous Tonight that is a real archetype for how to write an excellent melodic hardrock song. I especially enjoy these two hit songs that are catchy as hell, but it is not only them as the album in general is quite excellent. The slight negatives I can see is that it could be shorter to make the album more direct and intense, and the absence of originality is always a point that needs addressing. In this case the lack of originality it is fairly easy to overlook that when the songs are as good as the ones on offer from King Company, it will still limit the real impact of the album though.

Trapped is an excellent and really enjoyable album with several super-catchy songs that sticks to the mind of the listener. It may not have the impact to make it a classic that will stand the test of time considering the lack of original ideas, but as an album to enjoy it surely ticks the right boxes. The new singer was a great choice and the songs they have on offer for this album surely makes it a worthy album. It would probably be unwise not to look at this album if you enjoy the melodic hardrock kind of music.

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