Unless you've been at the top of your
AOR game for quite some time now, you likely have no idea who these guys are and probably don't even care. There has been such a glut of titles in this genre recently that it's easy to overlook unknowns, and
Terra Nova has been out of the loop for so long that only the most diehards or else previous fans of theirs will recognize the name. Like everyone and everything that can't find its niche in the rest of the world, they managed to capture the hearts of the Japanese and toured successfully in the Far East while pumping out three albums in the 90s. They were also one of the best Dutch bands to come out of the Netherlands in ages as well, so it was a shame when they hung it up in '99. But they are back and better than ever if you ask me.
The band consists of the brothers Hendrix, Fred on vox and Ron on keys. Plus Gesuino Derosas on guitar, Hans Eijkenaar on drums (very Dutch name there), and Eric Coenen on bass. Nah, I don't know the names either, but they are all good musicians that give Terra a solid sound. Which is very 80s based if you are wondering. It sounds like these guys were deep frozen for twenty years and were just thawed out and went right to making a record before seeing if times had changed in the fickle, flawed lifespan of the popular music landscape.
The production is thin but fits right along with that keyboard pumping, lighthearted nod to our treasured yesterdays. A thicker, more robust mixing would have yielded the tuneage a slicker sound but alas it is not to be. And for those curious, Fred Hendrix's voice is pretty cool. He manages to fit the generic European
AOR vocalist stereotype of high pitchy-ness but also seems to recall a weird union of Tobias Sammet from
Edguy and
Bert Heerink from
Vandenberg and more updatedly, Kayak fame. Dutch singers seem to have this slight variant edge about them, and he's no exception to the rule. Very endearing and gives him a boost to stand out a bit more from the crowd.
Now for the music, which matches the quality of everything else. A few tunes could have benefited from a fatter overall sound but yet it still comes across as high quality with a focus on quick and satisfying fixes that have 80s radio appeal...only this isn't the 80s but if you are even reading this, you probably wish it was anyway. They even have a song titled just for you...
"Back in the Eighties" which is catchy as all hell, and remarkably, very 80s sounding! It was definitely the best years for music of this type that's for sure, and this whole album will put you in the mood for the real albums of that era as well.
"Long Live Rock N Roll" makes you think "Rainbow cover" instantly, because, really, at this point in the game, who can record a song with that name and even hope to compete with the likes of it? You'd be wrong of course if you thought it resembled anything like the glory of that raw, crunchy and very much *rock* classic. This one is pure pomp
AOR and is far from rocking. Sure, it's uptempo and has a nice synth pumpin flavor but it is not going to conjure visions of throwing the "horns" rock sign or anything resembling it. Decent overall, sure, but misleading. Kind of like arriving at a
Manowar show expecting the roof to be blown off and instead are treated to an evening of Yanni. By far, the lamest track on the CD.
If you can manage to get past that first tragedy, then better things await on the horizon such as the sticky sweet
"Hold the Line" that is reminiscent of the earliest of
Firehouse mated with Treat, if you can imagine that. Toss in more swirling keyboards than you can shake a synthesizer at, and "Hold" comes to life in all its 80s seduced, upbeat glory.
The very, utmost beginning of
"Lonely is the Night", made me snap my head in
Jorn Lande song recognition, the opening lead guitar seems pulled right from "I Believe in Wonders" from Vagabond. Waiting for the swirling keys and impacting electric chords to follow, instead Fred Hendrix croons in his half Tobi/half Bert voice. This is good stuff, laidback at times and rather smooth. This is far better than the ballads that they have on offering.
Which all in all, the ballads are pretty good. They aren't groundbreaking, and you won't dig out the disc just to hear them again, but for mindless background fodder, you could do much worse for yourself than giving these a spin. Leaning on the piano and some violin sounds, not to mention simplicity is
"You are the One".
"Yesterday" is woeful and lingers with the sad reality of lost love and the attempt to overcome the pangs of such a state.
"Heaven Knows" is along the same lines although with less hope than
"Yesterday", here it seems that there is truly no cure to remedy the pain of a broken heart. Not alot sets them apart, but you take what you can get.
"Rock Bottom" is one of the better tracks and makes me think
Helloise. And
Bob Catley. Nice, heavier guitar sound and a more aggressive approach than anything mentioned so far, this is where the band truly shines.
"Soul Survivor" also cranks the guitar up and soars for its efforts. It's almost too bad that
Terra Nova didn't stick with more songs that rock than those that fizzle.
Despite my lack of overly fawning over the disc,
Terra Nova's "Escape" is a solid effort overall and seems to fit the bill when the mood is right. Songs such as "Hold the Line" and "Soul Survivor" strike 80s
AOR mimicking gold and helps make a case for resurrecting the more vintage sounds for those skeptics out there that believe the key heavy stuff should be left right where it died and was buried. "Escape" isn't perfect, but after six years of a Terra drought, it's a pleasure to welcome them back into the fold. Worth a look for
AOR-sters that need a good fix.
Written by
Alanna Sunday, August 28, 2005
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