Category: MATS KARLSSON

Swedes 220 VOLT released three quite good albums at the beginning of the ’80s with a classic Euro metal sound similar to the first Europe. But halfway the decade their record label saw a strong potential in 220 Volt to be launched on the prosperous American market. The band decided to re-work their sound into a marvelous, Scandinavian-style Melodic Hard Rock.
“Eye To Eye” was the result, and believe me, if you never heard this album you’re missing something great. This remastered reissue is wonderful, including 2 bonus.
With the extremely talented Max Norman (Ozzy, Coney Hatch, Y&T) producing, mixing and engineering, 220 Volt obtained a punchy, glossy, awesome polished sound ready to conquer the world.
Released in Europe in 1988 “Eye To Eye” was pretty successful, with its consequent US / Canada edition the following year (actually there were few months in between) and different artwork…

Pioneers of ’80s Swedish metal / hard rock, 220 VOLT is considered one of the essential acts for the genre’s develop in Scandinavia. Their self titled debut album “220 Volt” – also known as “Two Hundred Twenty Volt“ – curiously never was officially released on CD, except in Japan during the Nineties.
Fortunately excellent Dutch label Music On CD finally made justice to this album releasing it few weeks ago for the first time on CD in Europe.
While this release of “Two Hundred Twenty Volt” hasn’t been remastered, the new digital transfer technique – which augment the signal / Dynamic Range without distortion – makes wonders here. The album comes full out of the speakers, much more defined than the previously only Japan official CD press…