DIAMOND DAWN – Overdrive [Japan Edition +1]

Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, DIAMOND DAWN looked like a great promise when in 2011 the band presented their first single. The time finally arrived for the sextet to conquer the AOR / Melodic Rock world via their stunning debut CD “Overdrive“, in this Japanese Edition including a bonus track.
Unfortunately, the band broke-up soon and this is their sole release… but what a great one!

Diamond Dawn plays unpolluted, pure, uncompromising classic Melodic Rock in the best ’80s AOR style. There’s one sentence that simply describes “Overdrive”: Fluffy AOR.
The band works the fundamentals in this genre: clear and melodic vocal arrangements, hooks in both composition and choruses, strong lead guitar lines, fervent rhythm section and a tons of synth layers.
And all delivered with the often lost magic from the glorious ’80s.

The album starts off with the AOR cracker “Into Overdrive”, a soaring American orientated kind of tune with everything in pitch perfect place as would be expected for a studio offering from this particular genre of music.
You want great melodic vocal patterns, smooth production and quite catchy tunes to boot? Well you’ve come to the right place.

Next song “Take Me Higher” holds the same class as H.E.A.T with lovely keyboards and a damn catchy chorus.
Delivering all with a nod of the influential golden harmony-filled from late ’80s period with keyboard/piano commanding large elements of the song we have the super harmonic “Crying” and the bouncy chant-a-long “Standing As One”, a classic Scandi anthem if ever there was one.

“California Rush” rocks things up a tad with some great six-string moments amidst the brilliant song arrangement and crystal clear vocal performance.
“Indestructible” is pure AOR heaven with layers of keyboards and a fantastic chorus in the best Work Of Art style. On “The Hunter”, I hear Alien written all over it and filled with superb melodies and pumping backing vocals.

As expected, the power ballad which occupies every American Orientated Rock opus on the planet comes forth with “Don’t Walk Away” and it’s another anthemic masterpiece carved with love, chockfull of melody and musical intelligence. There’s sweet keys and a great vocal performance by singer Alexander Standell.
Here he reminds a bit of Kenny Leckermo (ex-H.E.A.T), not the same power but more subtle though.

This Japanese Edition includes the bonus “Follow Your Heart”, another luvely, fluffy keyboard-driven AOR tune with some Last Autumn’s Drean on it.
The album rounds off with “Powergames” and this is anonther highlight (amongst many). A fantastic AOR-rocker with crunchy guitars, stabbing keyboards and a classy chorus.

With “Overdrive”, Diamond Dawn has perfectly nailed the classic ’80s Melodic Rock / AOR genre with class, style, attitude and energy.
The hooks, the choruses, the synths, the sharp guitars – and the clichés – are all there, all wrapped by a smooth production akin the big names from 30 years ago.
This is something you don’t want to miss, so be sure to get your copy pronto.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

01 – Into Overdrive
02 – Take Me Higher
03 – Cryin’
04 – Standing As One
05 – California Rush
06 – Indestructible
07 – Turn It Up
08 – The Hunter
09 – Give It All
10 – Don’t Walk Away
11 – Follow Your Heart (Japan bonus track)
12 – Powergames

Alexander Strandell – Vocals
Jhonny Goransson – Guitars
Olle Lindahl – Guitars
Mikael Planefeldt – Bass
Niklas Arkbro – Keyboard
Efraim Larsson – Drums

 

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www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/SPIN-50
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