For us melodic rockers, there were few better albums in 2020 than H.E.A.T’s II album. The incredible collection of high energy arena rockers won me over immediately. As I revisited their back catalog, I couldn’t help but ask, “Why on earth did it take so long for me to hop upon their bandwagon?” As my luck goes, just when my H.E.A.T fandom was kicking into overdrive, singer Erik Grönwall left the band after a decade for greener pastures AKA Skid Row. This led to the return of original H.E.A.T singer, Kenny Leckremo, who sang on the band’s self titled debut (2008), as well as their sophomore outing, Freedom Rock (2010).
Leckremo’s dynamic vocals were a large part of what made those first couple H.E.A.T albums so excellent, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t initially disappointed in Grönwall’s departure. I had grown attached to his output with the band and FAST. Would Leckremo’s return to the band signature a drastic change of pace for the band? Of course not! On their latest offering, Force Majeure, H.E.A.T continues to crank out high quality tunes that are heavy, rocking, melodic, and most importantly, impactful!
The album opens with the melodically forceful and blatantly old school “Back to the Rhythm”. With its barrage of heavy riffs and dramatic keys, this old school metal banger comes off as a cross between Joe Lynn Turner era Deep Purple and Whitesnake. The fast and unrelenting melodic metal of “Nationwide” keeps the pace going, thanks to its memorable chorus and top notch musicianship. As entertaining as a full fledged metal album from H.E.A.T would be, the band remains adventurous on Force Majeure, but without losing their sense of direction. Look no further than the sexy, swaggering hard rock of “Tainted Blood”, upbeat pop rock of “Hollywood”, and heavenly atmospheric AOR of “Harder to Breathe”; all of which comprise the album’s first half and sound nothing alike, but evoke the same sense of power and purpose.
Upon Force Majeure‘s second half, we’re greeted by “Not for Sale”: A dramatic heavy rocker that could only be the product of a Scandinavian band (Us Yankees just don’t get it!). The drama continues on the larger than life “One of Us”, which borrows heavily from the Meat Loaf/Styx/Savatage pseudo-Broadway wheelhouse. From there on out, it’s a real smorgasbord of retro rock. The quirky funk infused “Hold Your Fire” screams Brian Howe era Bad Company, the triumphantly poppy “Paramount” will go over great on the festival circuit, and the neck snapping “Demon Eyes” goes for the jugular with its NWOBHM riffs and neoclassical soloing. Rounding it all out is the nostalgic “Wings of an Aeroplane”, which comes off as a throwback to H.E.A.T’s debut.
Although there’s still roughly 4 and a half months left in 2022, I’d be shocked if any other AOR band came close to releasing an album as cohesive and effective as Force Majeure this year. No matter who’s singing, when H.E.A.T puts an album out, they can do no wrong. I can only feel sorry for the ignorant who continue to wrongfully claim “rock is dead” when albums like this exist. If you’re reading this and happen to fall into that camp, check out Force Majeure and prepare to eat your words.
9 out of 10
Label: earMUSIC
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Europe, Whitesnake, Rainbow