The American band
Norway have been around for quite awhile but this is only the third disc to be found under their name. They play a strong version of
AOR that puts the guitars and vocals in the forefront. "Night Dreams" came out in the late 1990s and was strong enough to land them a deal on a label. The following "Arrival" in 2000 was a much weaker product that still delivered on the promise of hard candy
AOR. After that... it was just silence, until now.
"Rising Up From the Ashes" is just as suitable of a title as "Arrival" was back so many years ago. Then they had finally arrived on the scene, now they are rising from obscurity in the form of a new disc.
The songwriting is strong and so are the performances. Dave Baldwin possesses a very strong voice for this sort of music and guitarist Jim Santos blazes away at the strings carried on the strength of ear pleasing solos and backing riffs. Somewhere along the line things got messed up though, and a production problem pops up, effectively killing alot of the enjoyment that can be had out of this cd. Yes, its that bad. But getting to the meat of the album first...
The disc opens with two decent songs,
"Save Me" is a good first shot song. Its a largely forgettable pop rocker. Pleasant but nothing that really grabs.
"Anything At All" follows in its footsteps but taking careful approach as a ballady piece that's equally disposable.
"Only One I Need" has the
Frontline feel going for it but the finish on the song takes away too much with the drums just plunking all over the track.
"American Girl" is uptempo saccharine
AOR. The repetitive chorus is a bit of a failure for being revisited all too often. The saving grace is the addicting backing vocals of
"ohhhhh ohhhh". These are the cheering squad for a lead guitar solo that's bubblier than the liquid spewing from a freshly popped top on an overly shaken can of soda. It froths out with a sticky carbonated bubble force, the perfect sweet fit for the all-American Journey-ish sound. The first real keeper of a song on the album.
It gets better from here.
"The Power of Gold" has an epic drive and a bit of bombast peeking from behind the curtain. The poppy drama is especially noted in the guitar accented bridge and the flurry of keys that follow the chorus. An interesting storyteller theme wraps it up as the bow on the package. Too bad the wrapping has so many holes in it due to the production faults. Otherwise this would have been a real killer. So would
"Since You've Been Gone". It could have been pulled out of the 80s, this emotional and syrupy beautiful piece. The hook in the guitar riffs and supporting backing vocals work that decades old magic by capturing imagination and heart.
"Tell Me" blasts open with a grittier turn from the previous fluff with an all out axe slinging sugar rush. A candy coated piece dolled up in its 80s best, enough to make you feel giddy guilty for listening to it. The gigantic backing vocals on the
"tell me" for the chorus is the one spot that catches the most instantaneously. Flowing back into the harder guitar parts allows the song a nice shifting feel as emotions are sorted through and brought to terms. A simple apologetic message and downtrodden pleading fit the stripped acoustic nature of
"Won't Let You Down". One of the weaker songs overall, there is nothing overly original about it, though repeated listens it does grow on you. Even though you have heard a million like it, the mix of familiarity and ease of access makes it a pop acoustic ballad that doesn't have staying power, but does have the ability to appeal to anyone.
The disc ends with perhaps both its greatest asset and biggest disappointment. Clocking in at over seven minutes in length,
"Haunted" is an epic of an
AOR track. The guitars are divine, very nicely played by Santos and the rich vocals are equally passionate. Its a darker piece that is strung out in sadness and madness, echoing the extremes of both, chasing the ghosts of love.
AOR with a hint of progressive flavor, probing the depths of emotional suffering from memories of lost love and abandoned memories. Well written and played, but the production... leaves much to be desired. What could have come off as a polished prince among rock, seems more like a dirty peasant beggar with this hollow sound. A travesty indeed.
And now for the bad news regarding
Norway's latest. Production is absolute crap. The drums "thunk" hollowly and the guitars are a little removed from the mix. They seem to be string bending in their own universe, with the vocals trying somehow to fit without further disturbing the lack of balance. Its just a tragic mess that is more along the lines of demo standards than major label fare. A shame, for the songs have the power to speak on their own and the poor production detracts from their overall quality. The tracks themselves are for the most part, wicked good. An enjoyable disc with considerable replay value that has nearly been destroyed by piss poor production. Its a lowdown shame that
"Rising Up From the Ashes" was delivered such a brutal blow that brings it down so harshly. Those that can look beyond that will be rewarded, but in all fairness, its a tough thing to do, especially considering the wealth of discs on the market that were treated with more respect and love.
Frontiers should be ashamed. Just a few more dollars thrown to this release would have gone a long way.
Written by
Alanna Thursday, February 8, 2007
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