Best Debut album 2017, #3 : ONE DESIRE – One Desire [Japanese Edition] (2017)

Near the end of the year, it’s time to recap about the best 2017 releases, by category.
For 0dayrox, slot #5 of Best ‘Debut album’ of the year goes to ONE DESIRE self-titled.

ONE DESIRE‘s self-titled debut was released by Frontiers Music March 24th, but the album, as usual, previously appeared in Asia in its Japanese Edition including the obligatory bonus track.
Debut albums need a certain star dust to get themselves heard in a crowded market place, and if the 200,000 plays on Youtube of first single ‘Hurt’ are anything to go buy then this is going to be something special.

When you release a band’s debut on the same day as heavyweights Night Ranger, Eclipse and House Of Lords (all March 24th) then you have the utmost confidence in the new boys.
One Desire are the ‘new boys’ from the lot, and after the first CD listen that confidence is borne in one of the best debut albums I have hear in a very long time.

One Desire started out in 2012 as ‘OD’ when drummer Ossi Sivula started his new project. In 2014 he met up with Jimmy Westerlund on guitars (Sturm Und Drang) and he suggested his long time friend Andre Linman (from their band Sturm Und Drang) for vocals and Jonas Kuhlberg (Paul Di´Anno, Cain´s Offering) on bass soon completed the line up.
After extensive writing sessions the band selected 10 tracks to show to the world, and if you like melodic rock with styles varying from AOR to melodic metal with plenty of guitars and big choruses with melodies that will stick in your brain and not let go for days, then this is for you.

‘Hurt’ the first single opens the CD and is a sure fire winner from the word go with its keys start before an insistent dark guitar riff fights to be heard, before the first verse sees a stop start guitar riff with Linman impressing with his melodic range that adds a bit of grit in the chorus.
Vocal melodies abound alongside guitar swirls and hey, let’s throw some backing vocal woah woahs in there too, and a mention to Sivula’s drumming which really powers the song along. The guitar solo from Westerlund hits the spot and doesn’t overplay.
A song that has you singing along and a huge smile on your face and that certain something needed to be heard.

‘Apologize’ starts on an acoustic melody and is all about the huge multi-layered chorus with Linman holding out on the notes where a heavier guitar riff beefs the sound out with keys depth too
‘Love Injection’ has a modern, poppy melodic feel to the first chorus which builds up through the pre chorus to a quite superb main chorus that has that heavier guitar riff for company, and Linman again showing off his vocal qualities to great effect. Another song begging to be sang back to them by huge crowds.

‘Turn Back Time’ is a midtempo rocker that has Linman on his own through the first verse before the band all crash into. As you guessed there’s another huge chorus as the pace increases. This track reminds me of Eclipse, which will be touring with One Desire all over UK.
‘Falling Apart’ sees the pace drop for an AOR ballad that is all about Linman’s vocal melodies, then ‘Straight Through The Heart’ is a Sivula drum led rocker with a jabbing heavy guitar in the chorus. Killer song.

‘Whenever I’m Dreaming’ is an AOR number inspired by the magic ’80s yeat with an updated production, followed by ‘Do You Believe’ which has a heavy opening but then builds to a multi-layered vocal chorus that will be bouncing around your brain for days.
After a keyboard intro, ‘Buried Alive’ turns into the heaviest heaviest track on the album with an almost melodic metal feel to it, ’80s remiscent akin the first Europe.

The CD ends with the sweet midtempo semi-ballad ‘This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins’, a song with that classic Scandinavian touch. The Japan Edition bonus is the acoustic version of this song, a nice counterpoint against the original.

March the 24th is a very special day for Melodic Hard Rock fans with Eclipse and Night Ranger adding to their legacy new solid works, and while ‘One Desire’ will be released the same day / label, it really do stand up to them both with a CD that is one of the best debut’s to hit the streets in a very long time.
If you know the excellent act Sturm Und Drang (the band was featured on this blog some time ago) you’ll love One Desire as half members come from there. But this new band is much more melodic, firmly planted in classic Scandinavian Melodic Hard Rock sound & style, adding a strong portion of AOR and classic Euro metal to the proceedings resulting in a fabulous material.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

01. Hurt
02. Apologize
03. Love Injection
04. Turn Back Time
05. Falling Apart
06. Straight Through The Heart
07. Whenever I’m Dreaming
08. Do You Believe
09. Buried Alive
10. This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins
Japan Bonus Track;
11. This Is Where The Heartbreak Begins (Acoustic Version)

André Linman – lead vocals
Jimmy Westerlund – guitars
Jonas Kuhlberg – bass
Ossi Sivula – drums

BUY IT !
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/KICP-1830
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