Great to see Frontiers investing in new talent and this month sees a double header of more Swedish melodic goodness.
First up is Cruzh (crush) – a new three-piece (with a guest drummer) delivering an album of polish Scandi AOR with a strong keyboard driven 80s sound.
Think very early Bon Jovi mixed with the keyboards of Only Child, but with the vocals of REO’s Kevin Cronin gone glam? That make any sense whatsoever?
There is an aspect of sugary sweetness that might be a tad too sweet for some. And I do think the vocals can be a weak point within some areas on the album – the glam angle is played up on some songs.
The high points of the album are the riff driven First Cruzh; the anthemic Aim For The Head; the mid-tempo moodiness of Survive; the 80s rock radio styled You and the feel good fast moving Set Me Free. An ambitious 7 and a half minute power ballad Straight From My Heart closes the album. The last couple of minutes are pretty spectacular.
A strong debut featuring a throwback sound and style, but a crisp production. The albums best songs point towards a bright future. Hopefully they can build on this for many years to come.
