I’d like to begin this review by admitting I was never a big H.E.A.T fan. I know how beloved they are by the melodic rock community. At the recommendation of friends, I’ve listened to various albums and songs over the years. While I liked what I heard, there was nothing I loved or felt wasn’t being done better by acts such as Eclipse or The Night Flight Orchestra. So with the arrival of their sixth album, H.E.A.T II, you could only imagine my shock as I was served with a bowl of my own words for dinner.
From front to back, H.E.A.T II sounds massive. It’s as if it was recorded in an arena. All of the instruments, but specifically the guitars and drums, are colossal. The album opens with the sultry hard rocker, “Rock Your Body”. A big, fun ode to “skin on skin”, it’s directly influenced by Def Leppard’s Hysteria and Whitesnake ’87. Following this is “Dangerous Ground” which introduces a side of H.E.A.T I didn’t know existed: the melodic metal side. H.E.A.T II may be the band’s first time incorporating metal traits into their sound, but they do so with ease. Besides “Dangerous Ground”, songs such as “Victory”, “We Are Gods”, and “Rise” excellently showcase the heavy, melodic style without resorting to modern metal cliches (generic chug riffing, autotuned vocals, etc).
Speaking of vocals, Erik Grönwall’s voice is next level. Equal parts grit and soul, Grönwall sounds like the offspring of Ronnie James Dio and Doro Pesch. It only makes sense on an album of powerful riffs comes an equally powerful vocal performance. But what overshadows the production, riffs, and individual performances of each member, are the songs themselves. The key to writing a classic AOR song is by coming up with a catchy melody and chorus that the listener won’t soon forget. Look no further than my favorite song, “Adrenaline”. I’ve listened to it 5 times and I’m still not sick of it. The Survivor tinged “One by One” and my second favorite song, “Heaven Must Have Won an Angel”, are bonafide earworms as well.
The same friends who have recommended H.E.A.T to me have said this is their best album to date. Based off what I’ve heard, I’d have to agree. There’s a little bit of everything on here. Seductive hard rock? Check. Pounding melodic metal? Check. AOR anthems catchier than the plague? Check. It’s one thing to play songs in different styles. It’s another thing for those songs to sound good. H.E.A.T II isn’t just good. As a cartoon tiger once said, “It’s grrrrrreat!”. It took six records for H.E.A.T to click with me. All I can say is better late than never.
8 out of 10
Label: Ear Music
Genre: AOR
For fans of: Eclipse, Pretty Maids, Whitesnake