XORIGIN - review added 18th August 2011
Album Review: State Of The Art (2011)
For fans of: Hard Rock
Xorigin surprised me with this, their debut album. With a band name like that, and from the look of the cover art, I was expecting a collection of deeply progressive tracks in the vein of Yes, Threshold, and so on. Actually, this Scandinavian band sound nothing like any of them.
What we have here is an album crammed to bursting point with melodic rockers. Think along the lines of Toto, Chicago and REO Speedwagon, mixed with a hint of Foreigner and Giant for good measure. There's probably plenty more in there too. Xorigin do a convincing modernistic impression of the best bands from 20 or 30 years ago. There's no way their music is out of date, but it's clear where the influences come from.
Performances are great, with special commendation going to the vocals (especially the harmonies). These are clearly guys who know what they are doing, no surprise when you see the names involved and look at the other albums they've been a part of over the years.
On the song front, 'Can´t Keep Running' builds slowly to a brilliant chorus. The understated 'Crying For You' is subtly brilliant. The superb 'In The Blink Of An Eye' has Peter Cetera written all over it. 'Too Late' is great on the performance front, but perhaps a tad too happy for it's own good. The slightly leftfield 'Gina' has a great sound and a catchy vibe. 'This Is It' is a cracking song, though not quite as epic as it sounds like it should be...if that makes any sense...
'The One For Me' is another bright happy song that works well. The racy 'Said And Done' is a classy track with a hint of heaviness behind it. 'Matters To The Heart' is very pleasant, but it doesn't really get the blood boiling. 'What Love Is All About' has plenty of charm. Final track 'Mend My Heart' is a great ballad that closes the album with real panache.
In Summation:
There's a definite element of safety behind the songs on "State Of The Art". A bit more oomph and urge wouldn't have gone amiss. Saying that, the best tracks are utter brilliance.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. Can´t Keep Running
02. Crying For You
03. In The Blink Of An Eye
04. Too Late
05. Gina
06. This Is It
07. The One For Me
08. Said And Done
09. Matters To The Heart
10. What Love Is All About
11. Mend My Heart
Band/Performers:
Johannes Stole - vocals, keyboards
Daniel Palmqvist - guitars
Daniel Flores - drums
Other Info:
Produced by Daniel Flores
Label: Frontiers Records
Artist's website(s): MySpace | Facebook
