OLIVER WEERS – Evil’s Back (2011)
For those not familiar with OLIVER WEER here is a brief little introduction to ‘The Man With The Voice’, as he is known in Denmark.
Oliver is a German / English singer who came to Denmark in 2000 when he was headhunted by an IT company.
Before then he had released CDs in Norway, Germany and Japan (though not as a solo artist).
In Denmark he was a singer in the hard rock band RIPE but chose to stand in the biggest talent show in the world; ‘The X-Factor’, where he impressed the judges singing Queen’s classic ‘The Show Must Go On’, and went on to the penultimate round.
Then he was approached by producer and musician Soren Andersen (Mike Tramp Band /Artillery), who was shocked with Oliver’s big voice.
The two began a collaboration which resulted in Oliver’s first solo CD ‘Get Ready’ which was internationally released in Europe and Japan.
Not many debuts can boast performances with musicians like drummer Tommy Aldridge (Ozzy Osbourne/Whitesnake) and bassist Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake/ Thin Lizzy).
‘Get Ready’ achieved super reviews and established himself as one of the leading hard rock artists in Scandinavia.
Through impressive live performances at some of the biggest festivals in Denmark and support slots for giants such as Motley Crue and Whitesnake his fan base is rapidly growing.
For his new album “Evil’s Back”, Oliver has collaborated with an international and mixed generation team of artists; with young and vibrant bassist and producer Anders Borre and guitarist Anders Bo (who was also a part of Oliver’s live band), both from Denmark, and talented guitarist Laki Ragazas, from Greece.
This is a team for great composing and songwriting, completed by Kristian Thomsen who has mixed the album.
“Evil’s Back” is a contemporary hard rock album but imprinted with Oliver’s passion for classic rock bands like Dio, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, etc.
Weer is of the best voices of the new Danish rock scene, with a powerful attack and a deep tone. Some times he sounds like ’80s Ozzy or R.J. Dio or the modern Coverdale.
On the tiltle track “Evil’s Back” the band mix a classic hard rock style with modern vibes like Masterplan last album.
“All My Life” is vibrant and commercial, then “Without You” has a heavy bluesy groove sounding very americanized.
On “Hero” the prescence of a female vocalist (Rebecca Armstrong from Stella Black Rose, a danish band) adds extra textures to the disc.
“Need It Bad” is influenced by european 80’s hard rock, while “Beautiful Rain” slows the pace with some acoustic guitars, an interesting and atypical ballad.
“Much Too Much” rocks the album again, an uptempo rocker with a sizzling guitar arrangement and powerhouse vocals.
“Fighting The Mountains” is one of the best tracks, with lyrics about the stupidity of war. Oliver sounds like Ozzy Osbourne here.
“Demolition Man” was the bonus track on the Japanese release of his previous album ‘Get Ready’. Nice addition.
Last track “Rainbow Star” is a tribute to one of Oliver’s great inspirations: Ronnie James Dio. A very good song with emotion and affection.
“Evil’s Back” is a very solid european hard rock album with some american influences.
The production is tight and cohesive. One of the highest points in this department is the drum sound, powerful and pounding.
Weers delivers a stellar performance perfecting his expression and growing as an artist on this new album.
Oliver Weer is ready to prove to the critics and audiences that he is here to stay.
01 – Intro
02 – Evils Back
03 – All My Life
04 – Without You
05 – Hero (duet with Rebecca Armstrong from Stella Black Rose)
06 – Need It Bad
07 – Beautiful Rain
08 – Much Too Much
09 – Fighting The Mountains
10 – Devils Chain
11 – Demolition Man
12 – Rainbow Star
Oliver Weer : Vocals
Anders Bo : Guitars
Laki Ragazas : Lead Guitar
Anders Borre : Bass, Production
Morten Hell Born : Drums
myspace.com/oliverweersband
IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT!
