SHIRAZ LANE – Carnival Days [Japanese Edition +1] (2018)

The sophomore album from Finland’s SHIRAZ LANE, “Carnival Days“, will be released on February 23rd via Frontiers Music. The band has been extremely busy throughout 2017 composing, producing and recording their new album in collaboration with the Swedish producer Per Aldeheim (Def Leppard), and the result is a big step forward for this quintet.
This Japanese Edition appeared today, featuring the bonus track “Song Of Retribution”.

I’ve been a fan of this band since their debut album with Frontiers Music. They are different, always revolving around melodic hard rock waves, but with a very own identity.
And Shiraz Lane proves it from the start: title track “Carnival Days” begins with a saxophone – used in a ‘hard’ way, akin a guitar, and while the song develops into some kind of a melodic rocker, the sax is present all over the tune creating a unique effect.
Like it or not, but it’s darn original, and you need to have balls to start your new album with such a track.

Traditional Shiraz Lane arrives with song 2, “The Crown”, a killer hard rocker with blazing guitars akin SKID ROW. The riff kills, and the harmony vocals are superbly arranged. “Harder To Breathe” is bit more modern, very Scandinavian with some H.E.A.T on it, but in fact this is the sound & style of Shiraz Lane.
“Tidal Wave” has all the ingredients to also appeal to a broader audience than just us hard rockers, it’s poppier than the rest of the album (like early RECKLESS LOVE), but has everything to become the tune we will be stuck in our heads with during the Summer. It’s the kind of song that when you’d hear it on your car radio, it would blast through the speakers and you would still turn up the sound.

“Gotta Be Real” shows a different side of the band again (and again a more matured sound), it’s a slower paced melodic rocker song with an American middle-of-the-road sound, this time recalling SKID ROW but their first album midtempo ballads.

Coming off the softer side, “People Like Us” hammers back with powerful guitars and a quirky piano background. The melodic “Shangri-La” highlights the high-end vocals of Hannes Kett, then “War Of Mine” returns to proper hard rock territory with muscular riffs and great verses.
I have to say that the guitar/vocal mix on “Shot Of Life” are captivating me. This track is fantastic in its soaring vocals and very good guitar line, strong groove and overall melody. A highlight.

The album closes with “Reincarnation”, especially the intro of the song sounds more progressive than any other Shiraz Lane song has ever sounded. The clock that’s ticking is driving the song forward, then somehow explode into a massive hard rock song. I hear some JONO here, but in fact many classic bands influence. Great composition.
Japanese bonus track “Song Of Retribution” is a fun rocker, a little tongue-in-cheek with a very poppy chorus in the vein of many current Scandinavian acts.

Thankfully, Shiraz Lane isn’t repeating themselves on this second effort. The band has grew in all aspects; mature, varied, and original songwriting, better musicianship and the aim to create a new sound.
The band clearly challenged the more traditional hard rock frameworks, and success. Composition and production wise this album is a killer. It sounds massive, plenty of details.
“Carnival Days” is a very, very strong full-length sophomore effort that deserves to be heard, original and rocking at the same time.
HIGHLY Recommended

01. Carnival Days
02. The Crown
03. Harder To Breathe
04. Tidal Wave
05. Gotta Be Real
06. People Like Us
07. Shangri-La
08. War Of Mine
09. Shot Of Life
10. Hope
11. Reincarnation
12. Song Of Retribution (Japan Bonus Track)

Hannes Kett – lead vocals
Jani Laine – lead guitar
Miki Kalske – rhythm guitar
Joel Alex – bass
Ana Willman – drums

BUY IT !
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICP-1894
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