Frontiers/BAM
ECLIPSE feels like the band of melodic man of the moment Erik Mårtensson, but that is probably not the whole story. The band was formed in 1999 actually, and has released four albums to date. The first already back in 2001, “The Truth and A Little More”, which was followed by “Second to None” (2004), and their big break, “Are You Ready to Rock” in 2008. This leads us to the present day, and their new album “Bleed and Scream”. The band consists of Erik on vocals, guitars, and bass, co-writer Magnus Henriksson, lead guitars, Robban Bäck, drums, and Johan Berlin, synthesizers.
Opener “Wake Me Up” is a good way to start, and it seems that most that Erik touches turns to gold these days. The melodic rock on offer has touches of a mix of ABBA, WHITESNAKE, GARY MOORE (“Battlegrounds”), various Scandinavian Eurovision Song Contest contributions, and maybe even the latter albums of the first era of EUROPE. There are some truly magnificent moments, “Battlegrounds”, the speedy “Take Back the Fear”, the mix of some WHITESNAKE eras “The Unspoken Heroes”, the title track and, possibly the closing track “After the End of the World”. The rest are mostly hit material too, with the exception of the rather, or at least on this disc, feeble “S.O.S”. Those allergic to Scandi-AOR had better opt for another artist, those looking for refrains en masse better hurry and buy a copy. Whatever you prefer in melodic rock this album will not disappoint, and the variation makes for a worthy addition to most record collections.
Track List
Wake Me Up
Bleed and Scream
Ain´t Dead Yet
Battlegrounds
A Bitter Taste
Falling Down
S.O.S.
Take Back the Fear
The Unspoken Heroes
About to Break
After the End of the World
www.frontiers.it www.myspace.com/eclipsemania
