Frontiers/BAM
There is a lot of talk about the Scandinavian melodic rock scene at the moment and it will to expire after this release. The modestly named THE MAGNIFICENT is the joint venture of guitarist/producer Torsti Spoof of LEVERAGE and vocalist Michel Eriksen of Norway´s most promising act CIRCUS MAXIMUS. The song writing department also has a lot of BROTHER FIRETRIBE, CIRCUS MAXIMUS and URBAN TALE injected and the backing band are; drummer Rolf PIlve, bass player Sami Norbacka, keyboard player Jukka Karinen and backing vocalist Antony Parviainen. A couple of guests from their respective bands are there too of cause. Is it a bnad, is it a project, is it promising at all? I press play…
The reflection of a spandex clad WHITESNAKE is there in opener “Holding On to Your Love”. The rear-view mirror seems firmly set in an earlier age but the song is pleasant enough. Not the strongest ace, but good enough. The fat sounding “Cheated by Love” doesn´t cheat on the chosen decade, it´s very faithful. It´s like a slightly Finnish sounding EUROPE in fine form. But when it´s time for “Memories” I melted like butter in the sun. Everything I like about the eighties is there, including the high-level musicianship of this combo. Phew! But they actually reach the same high level again, at the very end. Both “Lost” and “Harvest Moon” are really good song material, the latter lets Michael show his vocal abilities in the sensitive range. The rest is mostly above or slightly above average. The slight contemporary edge keeps them off the copy cat branding, and they still remain faithful to the golden era which will attract the older fans too. There is the old trap of exchangeable songs and song titles, and I don´t get to grips with “Satin & Lace” for some reason. My main question is whether the musicians will have time for more of this excellent band? It is a fine and warming Christmas present for the melodically inclined.
Track List
Holding On to Your Love
Cheated by Love
Memories
Angel
Satin & Lace
Love´s On the Line
Bullets
Smoke & Fire
Tired of Dreaming
If It Takes All Night
Lost
Harvest Moon
www.frontiers.it www.myspace.com/michaeleriksen
