A LOT of incredible bands have come from Sweden, that country is arguably ground zero for some of the best rock and metal in the world for the last couple of decades, H.E.A.T is one of the very best bands to emerge from there and in the world of melodic rock they are the band to beat.
I first came across their music many years ago when I saw the music video for “living on the run” from their album address the nation, I was blown away by them. They had it all: great lyrics, an incredible singer, a band full of amazing musicians, and most importantly they had songs with great melody that conveyed emotion extremely well. They released three more albums with Erik before he parted ways with the band.
Force Majeure is the first album in over a decade to feature H.E.A.T’s original vocalist Kenny Leckremo, it’s borderline impossible not to like him. He’s an excellent singer with a good soulful voice, he looks like a rock star, and though I haven’t met him personally he comes across in interviews as a genuinely good natured guy. In full disclosure I’m not as much into the first two albums, they’re decent in their own right but they lacked the power of the albums that followed in my opinion. That is not at all the case with Force Majeure! You can feel the energy Kenny has brought with him to this band when he returned, These songs are energetic and powerful, the excitement the band has right now comes across in the songs.
If the opening track “back to the rhythm” doesn’t get you moving I’d be surprised, this song is epic! It starts out with a compressed synth beat before kicking down the door with hard hitting drums, some fast, melodic guitar picking and then comes the awesome melody and groove that carries the song and Kenny sounds better than he ever did before, his vocals just giving the song extra groove and energy.
“Nationwide” starts with a borderline Motley Crue riff and picks up the pace by the time the vocals kick in, I also detect a slight winger influence on this song. But overall this song is very much the sound they’ve evolved over the past few albums and wouldn’t feel out of place on address the nation.
“Tainted Blood” is a mid tempo rocker that again has a strong Motley Crue influence but filtered through the grander sound that defines this band, Kenny sings “can’t you see? There’s a force inside of me. ” and that’s no exaggeration, his energy on this album is infectious.
“Hollywood” is h.e.a.t doing what they do best: intricate, melodic, hard hitting ear candy. This song has in my opinion one of the catchiest choruses the band has ever written, the guitar solo on this is fantastic.
“Harder to breathe” has melody that reminds me a bit of the chorus from their song “do you want it?” From Into the great unknown, this song is a slower rocker with an excellent guitar solo.
“Not for sale” is an energetic song that will get you moving, the melody and pace of this song is exciting, the guitar playing on this song is fantastic! Easily one of the best songs on the album.
“One of us” is a piano and guitar driven power ballad and the only one on the album, a stunning and beautiful song.
“Hold your fire” feels very much like a crazy lixx song, it’s got that strong hysteria era Def Leppard bombast like crazy lixx does and much like them gives that sound a modern update, I think it would have been an 80s classic if the song had hit MTV decades ago. It’s a song that demands to be turned up loud and would make a great addition to their live set.
“Paramount” is the real curveball here, musically it’s somewhere between Danger Danger and the black parade era my chemical romance. Weird reference? Yeah, it’s not a song you expect from these guys but it’s a good song all the same.
“Demon Eyes” is h.e.a.t recording a power metal song, very Iron Maiden influenced and the playing on this song is excellent.
“Wings of an aeroplane” is a mid tempo rocker that kind of gives me Queensryche vibes, the dizzying display of guitar techniques in this song are impressive, even if it’s not the most energetic song on the album, I think the band at large really shine here. But then again that’s what I’d say about the album as a whole, Force Majeure is in my opinion one of their very best albums, second only to tearing down the walls if I’m being honest. The band is on fire on this album and the songs on a musical level are extremely impressive, With the return of Kenny Lackremo you can feel an excitement in the songs, the sound of a band really enjoying themselves and that always produces great results.
9/10
