Volster
Arise

Arise is the second album by Swedish duo Volster, it follows their 2018 debut album Perfect Storm. It is not just the sequel, it is a logical continuation with a style that is akin to what we heard on the debut album, at least according to the press material. But this album takes a wider approach and is more diverse with touches of AOR and progressive rock.

So, it is pretty traditional rock/heavy rock with progressive styles and with AOR catchiness. It is built around strong melodies and distinct riffs, a potent combination. The production is quite modern and good, there are twelve tracks and probably not varied enough to remain interesting for such a long playing times, perhaps they could have done with a one or two fewer tracks. The singer is quite good, not overly special but fits the style quite well. Their sound is relatively modern and fresh, but not particularly special in terms of originality.

Arise is a pretty good album with good songs, I don’t think there are any weaker songs on the album. The lack of outstanding hit songs and memorable content can be considered the weakness of the album, I am not sure that it is an album that one will return to. It is an album that you probably will like, I have found it pretty enjoyable to listen to this album even though it doesn’t make much of a lasting impression. Perhaps if you like this style of music it can be more interesting to you than it is to myself, but I am not sure that this album is distinct enough to really stand out.

I would recommend checking out the album before getting it, and it is a good album, but not a memorable one. There are just so many good albums that I have a hard time seeing that one should select this over other more interesting albums. They need to think a bit more outside the box if they want to make something great, it may not have any weak songs, but it also lacks the memorability of the great albums. It may not be a fantastic album, but I don’t think anyone will hate it.

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