A.C.T – Rebirth (2019) Limited Version +3

Time flies… more than four years have passed since the last studio album from awesome Swedes A.C.T, crowned by 0dayrox as ‘Best Prog Album of the Year’. Now they are releasing “Rebirth“, and again, its pure delight.
A.C.T always have been ‘one of the more Melodic Rock band from the Prog scene’, attracting not only progressive rock fans but also Pomp AOR / Melodic Rock mixing all these genres with class & style.

A.C.T is undeniably distinct in a sea of bands feeling around to find a sound of their own. “Rebirth” is one of their most musically thought provoking recording yet immediately familiar efforts.
Waking up to the first track ‘The Ruler of the World’, the sounds of an early morning greet us and that of a crowd at a cocktail party? But we quickly kick into pure A.C.T. Everything you would expect from one of their songs, encapsulating the best parts of Jono, ELO, Styx, Queen, Saga, along with a masterful hand at story telling.

Also second track ‘Running Out of Luck’ sound very much like it could have been on their celebrated previous CD. However third track ‘Digital Affair’ is a slight departure from the band’s typical sound. The song builds from a robotic metronomic verse to a emotional chorus that reminds those familiar with the band of A.C.T’s ability to capture emotion in an honest way.

“Meet the Past” continues this theme of intertwining emotion with the band flexing their muscle of delivering a musically quirky and upbeat but seemingly introspective emotional perspective. There’s something similar to The Night Flight Orchestra’ here, retro and good.

‘Broken Trust’ is another slight departure for the band with a more direct riffing style and vocal during the verse but quickly gives us another catchy chorus with even more emotional power behind it.
The songs although immediately catchy, are best with multiple listens. The album continuously reveals itself layer by layer with each listen.

As bonus there’s the Japanese bonus track from their previous album, plus some older songs Remixed and only available at A.C.T Fan Club.
“Rebirth” presents arguably the some strongest performances from the band to date. The leads in regards to the guitars and keyboards are beautifully technical and memorable. The rhythm sections bring each song to their full potential while still feeding the album the variety and unexpectedness that comes with a great progressive release. Vocally Rebirth is outstanding with smoothly delivered melodies and harmonies that hook you well before you even realize you’ve been hooked.

“Rebirth” by A.C.T is a both exciting and new yet comfy and familiar sound from one of the most distinct bands in the progressive rock genre. Both maintaining the cornerstone of prog rhythms and unexpected twists and turns while layering the songs with memorable melodies and vocal hooks rivaling any rock&pop hit.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – The Ruler Of The World
02 – Running Out Of Luck
03 – Digital Affair
04 – Meet The Past
05 – A Broken Trust
06 – Scared (bonus track)
07 – Take It Easy [Remix] (bonus track)
08 – Little Beauty [Remix] (bonus track)

Jerry Sahlin – Keyboards, Vocals
Ola Andersson – Guitars, Vocals
Peter Asp – Bass, keyboards
Herman Saming – Vocals
Thomas Lejon – Drums

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