SKANSIS – Leaving You (2011)

The spirit of Rock N’ Roll seems to be alive ‘n kickin’ in Switzerland, and even if in modern form there are always sparks from the classical years.

With a Hard Rock pattern which was forged years back by the hands of Swiss bands as Krokus or more recently Gotthard, it came back again through the material of their newly found compatriots SKANSIS and their second album, “Leaving You”.

SKANSIS didn’t reinvent the wheel, they play standard european melodic hard rock, solid, well produced, with strong melodies and some touting guitar solos.

Here we can find interesting tunes as the modern melodic rocker title track “Leaving You”, one of the few including keyboard support and somehow reminds you Last Autumn’s Dream but more raspy.

The rhythm-riff-breaks of “I Don’t Believe You” has a nod tho the recent Mad Max sound, while “Rock All Night” is in the vein of their compatriots Crystal Ball.

We can hear some aggressive melodic hooks on the song “I Want You” featuring a dark haunting undertone with a fat bass line.

One of the best and more original tracks on the album is the good power ballad “Carry On Better”. It has a nice Harem Scarem feel to it, a driving modern day rock riff lifts the song higher.

Skansis returns with a solid effort which builds on their already interesting debut record in 2006. A very young band in terms of camaraderie but I would be very carefully watching these guys to see how they expand on their sound.

Don’t get me wrong, this is robust collection of songs, very well recorded and played, in the classic euro tradition with a modern sound. Just think that with a more wholly sound and variation in the songwriting department they can deliver an exceptional record next time.

“Leaving You” will take you to an entertaining journey through the late ’80s – early ’90s and right back to modern times with its updated sound / arrangements.

If you like European Melodic Hard Rock like Shakra, Crystal Ball, Last Autumn’s Dream, Mad Max and why not, Gotthard and modern Harem Scarem, don’t miss this one.

01 – Next To Mine

02 – Leaving You

03 – Never Walk Alone

04 – I Don’t Believe You

05 – I Want You

06 – Coming Out Ahead

07 – Rock All Night

08 – Carry On Better

09 – Hear Now

10 – Just Another Day

11 – Back From War

12 – Anything

Reist Reto – Vocals

Heiniger Beat – Guitar

Joss Daniel – Guitar

Menz Pfister – Bass

Hagmann Matthias – Drums

www.skansis.ch

IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT!