AOR – The Promised Land (2025) HQ *0dayrox Exclusive*
“Okay, so you think REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Survivor, you really think this music is old fashioned? Well, then you are old fashioned! Or maybe just old.
We, as youngsters, and as a band, LOVE this music! You go try to buy vinyl of any of these type of bands in any record store and you will pay loads of money… If you can find any of their vinyl at all. We feel this music is really hot and our songs are in the same league.
So whether you like it or not, this is what we do. This is who we are. This is AOR!”
That’s how they present themselves: this combo named AOR isn’t the French outfit but hailing from the Netherlands, a project from songwriters Stanislaw Kirner and Elian de Montcorbier, both veterans from the European scene. They put together established musicians from various regions of the world, and the result is Dutch AOR’s debut album titled “The Promised Land“.
“The Promised Land” is a pretty uptempo record with rocking melodic guitars and classy vocals / multi-part harmonies (almost all members contribute) with a first half of the ’80s sound similar to LeRoux, Survivor, REO Speedwagon, i-Ten, 707, and more, with a clear sharp production.
Songs like the Totoish / early Giant ‘Old Age Rebellion’, the elegant ‘The Man Who Didn’t Fit’, the wonderful AOR driven title track (a highlight), the hooky melodic rocker ‘When I Look In The Mirror’, or the Survivor-esque ‘New Tomorrow’ are a pure delight, while on opener ‘Walking In The Streets’ and ‘Didn’t Happen Overnight’ the band turn the style more in The Eagles side.
While truly ‘AOR’ in the music, lyrically there’s some rebel themes including a few swear words, something uncommon in the genre ’80s, usually politically correct and radio-friendly.
This ‘Dutch’ AOR combo and their debut album ”The Promised Land” are a really nice surprise sure to please fans of this timeless genre & sound.
When other websites just copy/paste, we dig deep into release schedules, trimming the fat and bringing to you some cool music to discover. You saw it here first at 0dayrox
Highly Recommended
01 – Walking In The Streets
02 – Old Age Rebellion
03 – Home Of The Brave (Ballad Version)
04 – The Man Who Didn’t Fit
05 – The Promised Land
06 – When I Look In The Mirror
07 – Heart To Hide
08 – New Tomorrow
09 – Didn’t Happen Overnight
10 – Old Memories Don’t Pay My Liquor Bills
Eton Kingsdale: Vocals
Warren Grey: Guitar & Backing Vocals
Robin Anderson: Bass & Backing Vocals
Jimmy Ace: Drums & Backing Vocals
Saun Wallsberry: Sax
Jack Spacey: Keys & Backing Vocals
BUY
rockcompany.nl/shop/aor-the-promised-land/
mmmm..this sounds like AI to me..I recognise the vocal sound………and the lyrics are definitely AI created….cheesey and er..just not quite right…………its still good though…. but let down badly by those AI lyrics…………
@Neil Tudor – in this case you’re wrong. Although heavily inspired by existing AOR music from the 80s, Stanislaw Kirner (music) and Elian de Montcorbier (lyrics) wrote all these songs themselves, then recruited a series of session musicians to record the album. They love to experiment and have done similar things for other musical styles… check out for example their H-C≡N project (a bit heavier).
Hi, this is Elian de montcorbier. I wrote the lyrics and as far as I know I am no robot. And I don’t think ai can write this stuff. It’s too good.