As much as I try to stay open minded, I am guilty of bias and judging books by their covers. One of the worst instances of this was a few years ago when a bunch of friends told me about a band from Sweden named Horisont. When I first saw these 5 mustachioed dudes in their retro inspired wardrobe, I immediately assumed they were another run of the mill Sabbath wannabe. So imagine my shock upon hearing Electrical (2017). There were no down tuned doom riffs to be found. Instead, I was greeted with an infectious collection of melodic songs that spanned a variety of late 70s sounds such as progressive rock, hard rock, and AOR. It was love at first listen!
Sudden Death picks up where Electrical left off, though it’s not nearly as consistent. “Pushin’ the Line” is a rehash of “Electrical” with different lyrics. “Breaking the Chain” gets to be repetitive while the closer, “White Light”, sounds a little too close to Zebra’s “When You Get There”. Of course, only an AOR nerd like me would hear these similarities. However, a handful of filler tracks aren’t enough to hold back the remainder of this album.
“Revolution” opens things up and may very well be the greatest song Jeff Lynne never wrote. I can’t think of any bands or songs post-Electric Light Orchestra that have so brilliantly combined symphonic undertones with the melodies and chord changes of classic 60s pop (the Phil Spector sound). This style is utilized again on the delicate “Standing Here” which sees the beautiful cohesion of lush strings, acoustic guitars, and delicate harmonies.
I almost wish the entire album consisted of this ELO worship, but Horisont is no one trick pony. They need to rock and rock they do! The piano driven “Into the Night” and high energy “Runaway” are hard rocking tunes, yet accessible enough for AM radio airplay. Meanwhile, “Sail On” and “Hold On” bow to the altar of Kansas. They’re equal parts melodic and progressive with singer Axel Söderberg wailing away like Steve Walsh in his prime. Perhaps Söderberg traded his jeans for gym shorts while recording these tracks.
This review wouldn’t be complete without a mention of my favorite song, “Reign of Madness”. It so perfectly marries NWOBHM gallop riffing with the bombastic early AOR of bands like Toto and New England. And its chorus is just massive. Good luck getting it out of your head for the next month.
Despite its missteps, Sudden Death is better than the majority of so called hard rock that floods airwaves and social media feeds. I could only imagine if they were given the same opportunity here in America as Ghost and Greta Van Fleet. Perhaps then we wouldn’t have an entire demographic who believes classic rock begins and ends with “Hotel California”. One can dream.
7 out of 10
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Progressive Hard Rock
For fans of: Kansas, New England, Electric Light Orchestra