Album Review - Place Vendome - Streets of Fire

This may very well be "the" album you are looking for, if quality, talent and a knack for sticky melodies is your bread and butter while the love of all things rock boils yearningly in your blood. Place Vendome answers the call in your veins and puts the crowning butter on your toast too, all for the sheer joy of it. Crossing a power metal-like heaviness and AOR upbeat catchiness across twelve songs penned by the likes of Leverage's talented Toste and the always celebratory works of Magnus Karlsson, Place Vendome has the songwriting aspects for "Streets of Fire" covered in style. Michael Kiske, the much beloved vocal powerhouse that made Helloween a near household name in the world of power metal, lends his fluid pipes to music that was made simply for him to sing.
The results pretty much speak for themselves. "Streets of Fire" shows us the heart skipping pleasure of joy as well as glimpses into the darker side. An album of light and darkness, but one where every track matters, this one is likely to stay on your shelf and in your heart for the foreseeable future.

"Streets of Fire" is a luscious hard rocker that opens the album up wide open, an undercurrent of power metal laying underneath in the slamming melodic guitars and sense of epic drama. Magnus Karlsson's prolific pen offers us "Guardian Angel", and it has his trademark surging throughout. From the instantly addicting guitar melodies, to the beautiful, fluttery nature of the bridge and the hard hitting melodic wash of the chorus that follows it. A lovely sense of hope, faith and that sense of being in the hands of a guiding power. A guitar solo that sends shivers up the spine is the perfect topper to the song selected for the single from this album. Simmering the energy down into a bursting piano driven AOR track, its sorrowful sense of emotion will leave you "Completely Breathless".

Pulsing rhythms, a heavenly marriage of guitars (straight from the pages of Frontline and Pink Cream 69) and vocals drive this Steelhouse Lane/"Heroes" Frontline reminiscent piece called "Follow Me" its life and joyous catchiness. Then your soul is plunged into the frosty chilling shadows of darkness. Kiske sounds absolutely godly here on the dense, progressive minded "Set Me Free". The deeper throaty verses contrasting like grey and black against the wails of tortured desperation. It is a rainstorm, scattered gloom in the silver patterns of watery streaks that turns into thunderous exclamations shattering the sky. Just a magnificent miracle of songwriting, the layers of depth both in the musical composition, emotional progression and Kiske's excellent vocals.

"Believer" brings back the positive vibe and the unshaken certainty in the glory of love. It wants so much to convince you to believe in the truth of love and the whims of destiny. Coming straight from the 80s is the Scandi-pop rock/Starship fused "Valerie (The Truth is In Your Eyes)". Dazzling dancers of synthesizer illuminate the Scandi connection, and the chorus is just huge. The story of a woman who keeps hiding the truth and past from everyone she hooks up with, note the clever changes from "Valerie" to "Kimberly" in the second pass of the chorus as she lies her way from one situation to the next. The Skagarack/Da Vinci/Treat borrowed number gives the album an added dimension and makes for a unique turn of events.

"Scene in Reply" has this power metal "lite" feel fused with a strong dose of Steelhouse Lane. The feathery verses backed by a very Stratovarius sounding synth stylistic choice and then the huge bombardment of the AOR domination on the chorus is giddily delicious. Kiske's wonderfully controlled quivering vibrato on the word "door" is such a treat to hear. If you thought the rest of the album is addicting, there is nothing quite as remarkably infectious as the marvellous,

"Changes". Verses are deep and sung in this ultra smooth, richly rewarding lower register. Vocals are absolutely rock solid from this low purring to the medium range for the chorus and the illustrative high notes hit in perfection. The guitars growl, twirl and ultimate sizzle in happy infused delight. Changes between verses and chorus is effortless, gliding from one to the other with liquidity. Even abrupt ending with its muted sounding outro of twin guitars fading out is bliss.

The upbeat and flowery, love soaked and bouncy, sizzly sweetness of "Surrender Your Soul" is confectious, light weight and a proven AOR-esque soothing happiness maker. Leverage's Toste provides the compelling darker hues on the forceful melodic track "Dancer" that closely fits along with his past songwriting efforts. It's a great vehicle for Place Vendome. The vocals are neatly tailored to Kiske's voice, bringing out both range and richness and Uwe's guitars are simultaneously blistering and thickly crushing. The progressive touches and harder backdrop make it an excellent example of melody infused heavy rock, twisted up into the claws of desire.

"I'd Die For You" is not just a ballad, it's this gorgeous grand creation that begins as soft and dedicated, a song of sweet delicacy that progresses into heartfelt conviction, illustrated by dramatic piano, choral and instrumental flourishes. They build the intensity into this breaking point that pops, soars and is embroidered with deliriously romantic guitar. Kiske's voice is given free reign to demonstrate all of its colourful subtleties.

Easily the most enthralling album to come out of 2009. A wonderful diversity of heavy melodic rock, various tweakings on a common theme, diverging from each other to make the songs seem unique, yet familiar enough to make the album not only unexpectedly exciting but giving that element of consistent cohesiveness. Songwriting is spot on, having Kiske's strengths in mind and giving him twelve superior pieces of music to work with ranging from the darker, heavy rock influence ("Dancer", "Guardian Angel", "Set Me Free") all the way to fluffy AOR bits ("Surrender Your Soul", "Follow Me") and a few shades inbetween. Brilliant crisp production, lively performances, songs that whip around your mind for days on end - Place Vendome's "Streets of Fire" is a triumph of the genre, and one that pushes the boundaries and effortlessly reaches for, and obtains that holy grail of the hard-to-define element of "Something Special". If you blink and miss it, then woe is you. A Parisian square has never been so exciting.

Written by Alanna
Friday, March 27, 2009
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Ratings

Alanna: 9/10

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