For a band that formed in 1985 RouletteĀ never reached the peaks they deservedā¦this was mainly down to that old chestnut, record label cock-ups. The good news is thatbassist/vocalist Hansi Fellbrink, Thomas Lundgren on vocals, Magnus Nelin on guitar/vocals and Mats Nelin on drums, are back together and have recorded ten new tracks that have inherited their Swedish AOR roots and updated them with modern melodic rock sensibilities. The new album, aptly called Now!Is an amalgam of all that is good in the crowded AOR/Melodic rock arena: anthemic choruses and more hooks that an angling emporium.
Opener āNever EnoughāĀ takes a Van Halen riff and modifies it into a new and solid slice of melodic rock. āWe Can Make Itā has Whitesnake DNA, but it keeps its own identity and the heavy ballad structure really works well. āSoldiers of LoveāĀ has a great intro and the hefty chords of the main riff lead to the anthemic chorus and thereās a short and entertaining guitar solo too. āSecret RoomāĀ brings us the piano led ballad and the vocals here are spot on. This is another example of melodic rock as it should beā¦keys, chorus and damned catchy. āBetter DayāĀ serves another slice of quality that ticks all the right boxes. Best of the lot for me, is the closing track āRight By Your Sideā. Yes, it is another borderline formulaic piece of melodic rock⦠but when it is done this well, who cares! It also has a complexity in the instrumentation, if you listen closely, that most of this sort of music glosses over. This is quality AOR without a shred (!) of a doubt and the guitar solo is short but sweet.
I really enjoyed this album and it is a quality entry into the crowded melodic rock marketā¦and a lot better than some of the dross that is released under that banner. No, it isnāt new, itās a new take on a well-established format and if you like early Europe or the sheen of W.E.T. or H.E.A.T. then you will love this one.