ATOMIC LOVE REACTOR – The Arrival (2016)

Must confess I was attracted to “The Arrival“, the debut album by ATOMIC LOVE REACTOR, for its cover. As happens many times, never judge an album by its cover. Well, I was expecting hard rock music with a sci-fi twist, but what I have discovered is something even better, interesting.

“The Arrival” is a truly enjoyable 13-track album full of Classic Rock songs with some traditional hard rock on it, yes, but also melodic rock, some rock&pop and a pinch of blues.
It is not that Atomic Love Reactor are the new sensation or they are overly innovative, but what makes this album / band so pleasing is their freshness.

It should not be a surprise that Atomic Love Reactor hails from Sweden, as quality Rock music coming from this country seems to be inexhaustible.

The band already impress you with opener ‘Kiss Of Life’, a classic rocker with a hard rock nerve akin the great acts from the genre. The clean but powerful, articulated vocals of Fredrik Eriksson are a revelation, the guitar riffs precise and valvular sounding, and the keys, really awesome.
Yeah, Atomic Love Reactor uses classy keyboards all over the songs, the type of swirling organ / Hammond-like sounds we all love. And with tons of taste.

Title track ‘Atomic Love Reactor’ is plenty of rhythm, ‘Everything Is Dead’ adds a touch of bluesy melodies, while midtempo ‘Mr. Hyde’ owns a greatly contructed, irresistible melodic chorus, the kind which rise to a climax.
More lovely keyboard / guitar interplay is present on “Keep Me Alive” (early Whitesnake), the atmospheres in ‘The Piper’ have a nod to the more playful Deep Purple, then the melodic rocker ‘A Poison Tree’ is intense, juicy.
Atomic Love Reactor rocks harder in ‘She’s On Fire’, on the other hand ‘Mystery Of Souls’ and ‘Tall Whites’ (showcasing a terrific vocal performance) are the slower numbers completing the package.

All members in Atomic Love Reactor are experienced musicians – I heard Fredrik Eriksson singing in another interesting band called Days Of Ashes – and you can note their quality on every bit of “The Arrival”.
Apart of the compelling playing, these Swedes are armed with really good songs, very well arranged and recorded. I think it’s a matter of time Atomic Love Reactor get be signed by a specialized label. Yeah, this is a self-released album, but production is second to none.

“The Arrival” is one of these ‘silent releases’ with no-bombastic press promotion behind which is a pleasure to discover.
Classic Rock / Hard fans should check these guys now.
Highly Recommended

01 – Kiss Of Life
02 – Atomic Love Reactor
03 – Everything Is Dead
04 – Mr Hyde
05 – Keep Me Alive
06 – Connection Failed
07 – Mystery Of Souls
08 – The Piper
09 – Gone At Last
10 – A Poison Tree
11 – She’s On Fire
12 – Release Me
13 – Tall Whites

Fredrik Eriksson: vocals, guitars
Thomas Bellen Bergman: guitars, vocals
Anders Olsson: keyboards, vocals
Peter Samuelsson: bass, vocals
Johan Strende: drums, vocals

BUY IT !
atomiclovereactor.se/index.html
itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-arrival/id1102898398
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