| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING On This Day I Fight In Every Waking Hour If I Could Fly Riot This Means War Scream Animalistic Wildfire Shot In The Dark Last Man Alive King For A Day Release Date: August 12, 2022 Label: Frontiers Music srl Website: www.facebook.com/NordicUnionMusic |  |
NORDIC UNION IS:
Ronnie Atkins - Vocals / Erik Martensson - Guitars, bass, keyboards & backing vocals
Fredrik Folkare - Lead guitars / Henrik Eriksson - Drums
Ronnie Atkins - Vocals / Erik Martensson - Guitars, bass, keyboards & backing vocals
Fredrik Folkare - Lead guitars / Henrik Eriksson - Drums
These days it almost seems like Pretty Maids legend Ronnie Atkins is making the best use of whatever time he has left due to his ongoing stage 4 cancer battle, and of course the thing he is best at is making music and using that unmistakable and incredible voice he has been blessed with. However, it's worth noting that it seems like instead of his main baby: Pretty Maids, he's putting more focus into his side projects, those being his solo band and the focus of this review: Nordic Union, his side project with Erik Martensson of Eclipse, which may seem weird for some fans. However, I think that's the case because due to his health, these are projects that don't tour, and being that Pretty Maids is a touring band, if they put out a new record, they have to go out and support it with a tour. Whether Pretty Maids does do anything music related again while he's still here remains to be seen. Either way, we're glad that there's still more music coming from the legend himself.
That being said, it's been four years since Nordic Union released any music. They first hit the scene in 2016 with their self-titled debut album, and then followed it up with their sophomore album Second Coming in 2018, both of which were killer melodic hard rock albums. Given that both albums were well received, fans have been craving for more, and here we are four years after Second Coming with their third album Animalistic. If you loved the last two albums, there's really nothing different on this one. Much like on the previous two albums, it's no surprise that there are songs that sound like they could fit in both Atkins and Martensson's respective bands. For example, "On This Day I Fight", "In Every Waking Hour", "Riot" and "This Means War" all sound straight out of the Pretty Maids camp, whereas "Scream", "Animalistic", "Shot In The Dark" and "King For A Day" sound more like Eclipse.
Given that Martensson handled the bulk of the songwriting, and he very much remains in his comfort zone when it comes to writing and production, pretty much anything that he is involved with these days, whether it's Eclipse, Nordic Union or W.E.T., can be a pretty predictable listen. That was pretty much the case with Animalistic. I went in expecting very much the same thing that we've been getting from Martensson (but still very much looking forward to it), and ended up getting exactly what I was expecting. However, given that I am a sucker for huge hooks, captivating melodies and great vocals, Nordic Union is one of many bands that satisfies those cravings. The music may be stuff we've heard a million times now, but it never fails to scratch that itch.
That being said, it's been four years since Nordic Union released any music. They first hit the scene in 2016 with their self-titled debut album, and then followed it up with their sophomore album Second Coming in 2018, both of which were killer melodic hard rock albums. Given that both albums were well received, fans have been craving for more, and here we are four years after Second Coming with their third album Animalistic. If you loved the last two albums, there's really nothing different on this one. Much like on the previous two albums, it's no surprise that there are songs that sound like they could fit in both Atkins and Martensson's respective bands. For example, "On This Day I Fight", "In Every Waking Hour", "Riot" and "This Means War" all sound straight out of the Pretty Maids camp, whereas "Scream", "Animalistic", "Shot In The Dark" and "King For A Day" sound more like Eclipse.
Given that Martensson handled the bulk of the songwriting, and he very much remains in his comfort zone when it comes to writing and production, pretty much anything that he is involved with these days, whether it's Eclipse, Nordic Union or W.E.T., can be a pretty predictable listen. That was pretty much the case with Animalistic. I went in expecting very much the same thing that we've been getting from Martensson (but still very much looking forward to it), and ended up getting exactly what I was expecting. However, given that I am a sucker for huge hooks, captivating melodies and great vocals, Nordic Union is one of many bands that satisfies those cravings. The music may be stuff we've heard a million times now, but it never fails to scratch that itch.
FINAL RATING
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