UNIVERSE INFINITY – Rock Is Alive (2018)
Swedes UNIVERSE INFINITY started out as Universe and released one album back in the ’80s (recently remastered and featured HERE) before splitting-up.
Fast forward to 2017, they added ‘Infinity’ to their name and recruited former House Of Shakira vocalist Andreas Eklund and are releasing a new album tomorrow: “Rock Is Alive“, finding the band in this new Millennium much more oriented to classic melodic hard rock sounds.
Eklund has that soaring, melodic singing style that perfectly melds in well with the band’s melodic hard rock sound. Songs like ‘Company’s Coming’ and ‘Red Submarines’ are simply immense, with more hooks than a fishing tackle shop and plenty of guitars and keyboard action.
They up the rock on ‘Born In Flames’ and ‘We Were Just Dancing’, like the hair metal ’80s Whitesnake meets Europe from the same era, complete with a suitably smoking guitar solo.
‘Streets Of Hate’ features layered harmony vocals which recall House Of Shakira, and there is a nifty Hammond solo on this song. Title track “Rock Is Alive” is an anthem with crowd noises like if the song were played live, and while cool, tend to spoil this one.
Other songs of interest are “Lady Luck”, starting with a huge percussive drum start, while in “She Can’t Get Enough” you’ll hear a little blues vibe, notably in Andreas Eklund voice, but also somewhat in the guitar lines.
Surprisingly, there’s no ballads in Universe Infinity’s comeback album ‘Rock Is Alive’, which you often expect to find with a band rooted in classic Eighties melodic hard rock. But it doesn’t matter, believe me. It even benefits the CD in its intensity.
Universe Infinity delivers here a strong and consistent album of guitar-centered and hooky melodic hard rock, very well produced with a sumptuous sound that somehow reminds me of House Of Lords debut.
HIGHLY Recommended
01. Start Give All Your Love
02. Catch of My Life
03. Company’s Coming
04. She Can’t Get Enough
05. Red Submarines
06. Born in Flames
07. Rock Is Alive
08. We Were Just Dancing
09. Lady Luck
10. Streets of Hate
Michael Kling – lead guitar
Andreas Eklund – vocals
Hasse Hagman – bass
Freddy Kristrom – keyboard
Anders Wetterstrom – drums
Per Nilsson – guitar
PRE ORDER:
www.aorheaven.com/index.php/englisch_b/universe-infinity-rock-is-alive.html?
.
