GRAND DESIGN - review added 14th October 2009
Album Review: Time Elevation (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and Def Leppard
Def Design or Grand Leppard, call them what you will; Grand Design really, really sound like Def Leppard!
Time Elevation is Hysteria/Pyromania part II and, you know what? It's actually rather good. The sound is totally a rip off of what 'The Leps' were doing 20+ years ago, but no one has got this close to sounding this Def Leppard-y since. Not even Def Leppard.
Lead singer Pelle Saether has an unusual style. He's almost cartoonish in the way he pronounces words and has a leftfield high pitched tone. Saying that, after a few listens you get used to his approach and he ends up an enjoyable listen. He doesn't lack talent and gives the album a good slug of character that puts a slither of light between Grand Design and, er, that other band...although it really is a very small slither.
The similarity between GD and DL is otherwise many-fold. The guitar playing is bright, clear and has a lot of similar chord progressions, the drums are deliberately pounding and simplistically characterful, and the bass throbs with a delicate power. It wouldn't surprise me if this album was recorded on the same amps, instruments and tracking gear as DL. The vibe of Time Elevation is certainly more modern, but it isn't exactly 'of this era'. We'll call it 'updated'.
The multi-layered harmonies are just as uncanny too. I'm not sure who out of Peter Ledin and Dennis Vestman (guitars), Richard Holmgren (drums) and Anders Modd (bass) joined in on vocals, but their reproduction of Sheffield's finest choral society is scarily precise. The effects and samples also follow a similar vein. As a quick example the spoken sections of 'Piece Of The Action' makes it sound like a follow-up to 'Gods Of War'.
The thing with this album is it's difficult to mark. It wears it's influences so heavily on its sleeves it can barely lift its arms. Saying that, Time Elevation is a stunningly performed, brilliantly written album. If Def Leppard had never existed this album could have been up there with the year's best. It really is that good. Every song has something to offer, and some of them are simply incredible. Tracks like 'Air It Out' and 'Sad Sound Of Goodbye' are the match of anything DL have ever produced.
In the end, Time Elevation is a brilliant album, but it's also too derivative for it's own good. If you want to live those heady days once more it doesn't get any better than this. If you want something new, fresh and exciting, you really are barking up the wrong tree with Grand Design.
Check out... The Def Leppardiness of it all, unsurprisingly.
Track List:
1. Love Sensation
2. Slugged Out
3. Air It Out
4. Piece Of The Action
5. Sad Sound Of Goodbye
6. No Time For Love
7. Hello Mr. Heartache
8. Let's Go Down Fighting
9. Sheik Iddup
10. Love Will Know
Label: Metal Heaven
Artist's website(s): MySpace
