| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Roses On Your Grave Dying Breed Saturday Night (Hallelujah) Run For Cover Carved In Stone Twilight Poison Inside My Heart Bite The Bullet We Didn't Come To Lose Things We Love Dead Inside (Bonus track) Release Date: October 8, 2021 Label: Frontiers Music srl Website: www.eclipsemania.com www.facebook.com/EclipseSweden |  |
ECLIPSE IS:
Erik Martensson - Lead vocals & guitars / Magnus Henrikkson - Lead guitars & backing vocals
Philip Crusner - Drums / Victor Crusner - Bass & backing vocals
Erik Martensson - Lead vocals & guitars / Magnus Henrikkson - Lead guitars & backing vocals
Philip Crusner - Drums / Victor Crusner - Bass & backing vocals
This year is a pretty significant year for Swedish melodic hard rock masters Eclipse. They are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album The Truth & A Little More, which is an album they don't really talk about or play anything from anymore, and they're releasing their eighth studio album Wired. This also marks the band's first album to feature new bassist Victor Crusner, brother of drummer Philip Crusner. Eclipse have become a band I've been listening to heavily over the last few years, because they're one of those bands that always satisfy my craving for good ol' fashioned melodic hard rock with big hooks, heavy riffs, catchy melodies and big sing-along choruses. Obviously I found many more bands of this style since then that also satisfy that craving. However, thanks to Erik Martensson, Eclipse have established a certain sound and tone to their last few records that is easily identifiable, even if the riffs and melodies do sound rehashed from previous songs.
| Obviously, the new album doesn't deviate from the direction and sound they took on their last four albums (Bleed & Scream, Armageddonize, Monumentum and Paradigm). The album starts with the high energy triple dose of "Roses On Your Grave", "Dying Breed" and "Saturday Night (Hallelujah)", with them being quite up-tempo with exciting riffs and big vocal hooks, guaranteed to get heads moving, and hands in the air in the form of both fists and horns. My first thought when I heard the chorus to "Saturday Night" is that you can easily sing the chorus to "Viva La Victoria" over it. Try it, you'll be surprised at how much it fits. However, "Dying Breed" has to be my favourite track on the whole record. It's in the realm of "The Storm", "When The Winter Ends" and "Never Look Back". | |
After some hard-hitting rockers, things are pulled back ever so slightly on "Run For Cover", which has a much more anthemic vibe. It's the furthest thing from a ballad, but it sounds more heroic than the first three songs, and contains one of Magnus Henrikkson's best solos on the album. It's when we reach "Carved In Stone" that we enter pure ballad territory. This track contains mainly acoustic guitars, but the electric guitars and drums come kicking in towards the end. One thing that sets Eclipse apart from many other bands are the huge vocal harmonies between more than two members. This element resurrects vibes of Def Leppard in their prime, which is something that I don't hear in a lot of newer bands today.
The album's only issue is that the second half of the record isn't nearly as strong as the first half. It contains solid moments without a doubt. I just thought that the songs were much stronger in the top half. Tracks like "Twilight", "Poison Inside My Heart", "Bite The Bullet" and "We Didn't Come To Lose" all contain decent moments that save them from the bin, but aren't really the best from start to finish. The best song award for the second half goes to "Things We Love". Also, if the Eclipse formula is beginning to burn you out because it's more of the same from Martensson, the new album won't change any minds. However, Wired is another solid release from one of Sweden's finest rock bands, and is a testament to the power of good songwriting. Eclipse never fail to satisfy my craving for straightforward melodic hard rock.
Highs: "Roses On Your Grave", "Dying Breed", "Saturday Night", "Run For Cover" and "Things We Love"
Lows: The second half is only slightly weaker than the top half.
The album's only issue is that the second half of the record isn't nearly as strong as the first half. It contains solid moments without a doubt. I just thought that the songs were much stronger in the top half. Tracks like "Twilight", "Poison Inside My Heart", "Bite The Bullet" and "We Didn't Come To Lose" all contain decent moments that save them from the bin, but aren't really the best from start to finish. The best song award for the second half goes to "Things We Love". Also, if the Eclipse formula is beginning to burn you out because it's more of the same from Martensson, the new album won't change any minds. However, Wired is another solid release from one of Sweden's finest rock bands, and is a testament to the power of good songwriting. Eclipse never fail to satisfy my craving for straightforward melodic hard rock.
Highs: "Roses On Your Grave", "Dying Breed", "Saturday Night", "Run For Cover" and "Things We Love"
Lows: The second half is only slightly weaker than the top half.
FINAL RATING
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