I’ve loved these guys for years and this year ‘Final Advent’ might just be vying for their very best. If you love high energy rock with soaring melodies and that ‘feel good’ factor then opener ‘Power of Will’ will have you beaming from ear to ear. It’s a mighty, high energy track to open album number eight.
I’d have loved for them to have kept up that essential pace but instead the band opts to slow things right down to open ‘Yours’ before the song bursts into life after the first verse. It’s still restrained but as demi-ballads go rather palatable and I love the solo I’d hit replay just for that.
I love the harder edge of ‘Advent’ which rides a great groove and grows on you with each play, indeed it could well be one of the very best here along with ‘Power of Will’ which, says Molin “was one of the first songs we wrote for the album and it immediately mapped the route for the rest of the material. In my opinion the result is our most intense album so far and doubtlessly features some of the strongest songs we’ve ever written.”
‘Natural Born Killer’ is interesting, taking a Pop beat that bands like Reckless Love utilize so well and creating a great Rock – Pop mash that warns of the dangers of obsession. It’s wonderful.
‘All the Devils Are Here’ gets back to that melodic driven rock and ‘The White’ the third and final part of a trilogy that consists of songs on this and the two previous albums, starting with ‘The Grey’ on ‘Firesign’ (2018) and ‘The Black’ on ‘The Dark Delight’ (2020), is another highlight that has a progressive leaning but a very melodic beating heart.
‘Instinct’ rides a wonderful groove and is another scorcher; whilst ‘Heart of Darkness’ adds more great harmonies; and ‘Achilles Heel’ surprises, sounding a little like vintage Magnum with an eastern tinge and is wonderfully compelling.
Closer ‘Power of Now’ is another glorious flourish of soaring melody and hard rocking drive and another of many highlights here. It’s a wonderful song to close a wonderful album.
8/10
‘Final Advent’ was produced by the band themselves and primarily recorded in Love Magnusson`s studio in Stockholm, drums were recorded in Denmark at the Hansen Studios (owned by sound icon Jacob Hansen, who also mixed and mastered the album). The cover artwork was designed by Brazilian Gustavo Sazes, who has also worked for British Lion (feat. Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris), Kamelot, Firewind, Iced Earth and Nils Molin’s second band, Amaranthe. Molin: “It’s meant to be ambiguous, just like the album title ‘Final Advent’. Advent means the arrival of an important thing or person.”