BLACKRAIN – Orphans Of The Light (2026) *HQ*

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BLACKRAIN has become one of the best hard rock bands around, having already released abunch of consistent records and when you have the bar set that high there’s inevitably high expectations that come with each new release. Some albums meet them, some fall short of the mark, and then you have an album like their upcoming “Orphans Of The Light” that utterly shatters your expectations.
Let’s put this short; this is easily BlackRain’s best album (and the previous are darn good), the playing on it is phenomenal and leader / front man Swan Hellion has lost nothing vocally. ”Orphans Of The Light” is a phenomenal album that should be heard by every hard rock fan. The bar for 2026 is set here and it’s set high.

“Dreams” starts out with some bouncy synths over a slow drum beat and some great slow riffs, all of it backing the narration at the beginning of the song before things really kick into high gear and once it does it’s absolutely infectious.

I think it’s easy to lump BlackRain in with the Scandinavian sleaze bands if you were judging them at face value, and while many of that scene’s hallmarks are present in the sound there’s a melodic grandeur to Blackrain that feels very reminiscent of Queen. It’s this element, As well as the unique vocals of Swan Hellion, That really makes this band stand out. Crashdiet meets Queen is a loose comparison I’d use to describe their sound and that is very much the case with this song. Especially three quarters of the way through this song around the guitar solo, They go very “Bohemian Rhapsody” around that section before dialing the power back up. Man, What an excellent start to the album.

“Come On” goes full 80’s glam metal with a mid tempo 80’s rocker, Like debut era Skid Row and Dr. Feelgood era Motley Crue combined. This song is absolutely energetic and triumphant, This is the sort of song old school hard rock fans wish most of their heroes still wrote. So to all of you who say “They don’t make music like that anymore” here you go!
“Orphans Of The Light” returns to more of the theatrical grandeur with absolutely massive riffs, This one walks a line somewhere between sleaze rock and power metal, A zone Blackrain travel well and this song both captivates and obliterates.

The guitar work by Swan and new lead guitar player Jerem G is outstanding, Just my opinion here but Jerem is the best lead player this band has had yet and I think he’s going to be a star in the scene after his playing on this record, He does a great solo on this song. Both he and Swan have fantastic chemistry together.
Swan’s vocals on this song are spectacular and although he might not think so, He’s an outstanding singer and I’m still blown away by how he hits those high notes. I can see why this record was named after this song, It’s an absolutely stunning song.

“Unleash The Fury” has a strong Rest In Sleaze era Crashdiet feel to it with a dash of early Dokken. Another great rocker. “Meandres De L Instinct” gives the rhythm section of drummer Franky Costanza and bassist Matthieu De La Roche a bit of the spotlight during the verses, This one is a slower affair but no less powerful. This song goes a bit more in the direction of melodic rock but has enough edge to keep it from being as milktoast as that genre often is.
“Disagree” picks the tempo back up with that awesome Swedish sleaze meets Queen sound I mentioned above, This is an excellent song where I feel like the whole band is on fire. It rocks the whole way through and by the time you reach the solo you’ll be picking your jaw up off the floor. Absolutely killer track!

“Madhouse” slows the pace up a bit to let the melody drive this song, This one is a bit different and reminds me a bit more of the band Trench Dogs. That sort of slightly punky Cheap Trick sound that band is known for and man it works! It might be slightly the odd man out up to this point but the playing on it is phenomenal.
“If This Is Love” is a straight up epic sleaze metal power ballad, Not a note in this song is wasted. Melody and emotion drive this song and the whole band is in top form and my god the guitar playing on this song is just breathtaking. Chefs kiss to this one.

“Twist Of A Knife” brings things back to a slightly heavier and more grounded affair, A mid tempo rocker that feels somewhat early Bon Jovi inspired. “Resurrection” was the first taste of this record released to the public and really acted more as the introduction to the incendiary guitar playing of Blackrain’s new lead guitarist Jerem G.
Swan found a time machine and traveled back to L.A. during the 80’s and found a future star guitarist, then brought him back to the present to rock with his band but that’s my impression of his skill level. This guy is incredible. This right here is what we need more of in the modern hard rock scene, The guitar god type who wows with not just speed, but melody and technical prowess.

“Crack The Sky” is a bare knuckle brawler of a song, I loved this song from the moment I heard it. It’s down and dirty and powerful, While not being a fast song it rocks hard and I absolutely love Swan’s vocals on the chorus of this song. “Chasing A Feeling” is another great rocker if maybe lacking as much of a hook as the other songs up to this point. “Klub Krazy Nights” has a subtle bit of a southern rock influence added into the hard rock groove that dominates it, This song will get you moving.

“Farewell” ends the album off with another song with a strong Queen influence, I’d say the most Queen sounding one of them all. A triumphant finish to a great album that will leave you wanting to start this record over again and restart the ride you just went on.
A kick ass album from start to finish.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – Dreams
02 – Come On
03 – Orphans of the Light
04 – Unleash the Fury
05 – If This Is Love
06 – Méandres de l’instinct
07 – Disagree
08 – Madhouse
09 – Resurrection
10 – Crack the Sky
11 – Twist of a Knife
12 – Chasing a Feeling
13 – Club Crazy Nights
14 – Farewell

Swan Hellion (vocals)
Jerem G (guitar)
Matthieu De La Roche (bass)
Franky Costanza (drums)

Pre order:
napalmrecords.com/english/blackrain-orphans-of-the-light-cd.html