H.E.A.T.
With a two year gap between full-length releases since they unleashed their eponymously titled debut back in 2008, here we have album number four from Sweden's H.E.A.T., 'Tearing Down the Walls'. Renowned for their melodically epic and ridiculously catchy tunes, they've once again released a filler-free, hard-rocking juggernaut of an album. To be honest, on paper, H.E.A.T. ostensibly represent everything I'd usually stay well clear of. I mean, I have nothing but contempt for genericism in music, particularly within the context of a rehashed genre. And a band purporting to be flying the melodic hard rock flag in the twenty first century just leaves me emotionally indifferent with preconceptions of cheesy mimicry. Not so with H.E.A.T. With the popularity of said genre experiencing something of a renaissance during the last decade, these talented Swedes have taken it to the next level. Sure, 70s/80s rock/metal clichés are a prominent part of their sonic canvas although they've injected their axiomatic influences with enough progression, fresh energy and contemporary rock dynamics to genuinely stand out from the pack.
As I said, 'Tearing Down the Walls' is, quite simply, filler-free. Every track's a winner. Why? Well, for starters, the amount of great melodies is simply ridiculous. Breathtakingly so. Every song is chock-full of them. How five human beings can craft so many captivating hooks, refrains, licks and melodies with a consistently catchy impetus is just extraordinary. However, the appeal of H.E.A.T. is not just about the catchiness of their music - individual and collective performances are flawless, and the rocking impetus of the compositions allow the melodies to develop and thrive in both exhilarating and alluring ways, be it within their more up tempo numbers like 'Inferno', mid-tempo pieces such as 'Mannequin Show', or the album's more down-tempo moments like 'All the Nights'. And the production is also magnificent; lush instrumentations sound immense in each and every song, and with a great mix that combines all the layers in perfect sonorous unity.
H.E.A.T. are riding high on the current wave of melodic hard rock's rejuvenated popularity and, based on this melodically sublime gem of a record, they look set to do so for many more years to come. And for those of you out there who, like me, might have preconceptions and doubts as to H.E.A.T.'s worth, I dare you to give 'Tearing Down the Walls' a try and not be affected by its explosive energy and melodic charms. Go on, you know you want to. Keep them as your guilty pleasure if you feel the need, I won't tell.
As I said, 'Tearing Down the Walls' is, quite simply, filler-free. Every track's a winner. Why? Well, for starters, the amount of great melodies is simply ridiculous. Breathtakingly so. Every song is chock-full of them. How five human beings can craft so many captivating hooks, refrains, licks and melodies with a consistently catchy impetus is just extraordinary. However, the appeal of H.E.A.T. is not just about the catchiness of their music - individual and collective performances are flawless, and the rocking impetus of the compositions allow the melodies to develop and thrive in both exhilarating and alluring ways, be it within their more up tempo numbers like 'Inferno', mid-tempo pieces such as 'Mannequin Show', or the album's more down-tempo moments like 'All the Nights'. And the production is also magnificent; lush instrumentations sound immense in each and every song, and with a great mix that combines all the layers in perfect sonorous unity.
H.E.A.T. are riding high on the current wave of melodic hard rock's rejuvenated popularity and, based on this melodically sublime gem of a record, they look set to do so for many more years to come. And for those of you out there who, like me, might have preconceptions and doubts as to H.E.A.T.'s worth, I dare you to give 'Tearing Down the Walls' a try and not be affected by its explosive energy and melodic charms. Go on, you know you want to. Keep them as your guilty pleasure if you feel the need, I won't tell.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
earMUSIC
Album
TEARING DOWN THE WALLS
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
45:01
RELEASE DATE:
14th April 2014
TRACK LISTING
1) Point of No Return
2) A Shot at Redemption
3) Inferno; 4) The Wreckoning
5) Tearing Down the Walls
6) Mannequin Show
7) We Will Never Die
8) Emergency
9) All the Nights
10) Eye for an Eye
11) Enemy in Me
12) Laughing at Tomorrow
2) A Shot at Redemption
3) Inferno; 4) The Wreckoning
5) Tearing Down the Walls
6) Mannequin Show
7) We Will Never Die
8) Emergency
9) All the Nights
10) Eye for an Eye
11) Enemy in Me
12) Laughing at Tomorrow
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Sweden
"...70s/80s rock/metal clichés are a prominent part of their sonic canvas although they've injected their axiomatic influences with enough progression, fresh energy and contemporary rock dynamics to genuinely stand out from the pack."
