HORISONT: Sudden Death (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Horisont is a band that never ceases to surprise us... in the good sense of the word. Leader of a seventies revival always particularly fertile in Sweden, the quintet has been able to gradually refine its identity through its records (six to date). Initially vaguely linked to Stoner and Doom, perhaps under the influence of guitarist Tom Sutton (Church Of Misery) who has since left the band, they delivered in 2017 "About Time", a vintage hard rock filled with juicy sap.

We then thought that the Scandinavians would quietly pursue their career, in a niche we never get tired of anyway. We didn't know them very well, as illustrated by 'Revolution', which starts the listening of "Sudden Death" in an astonishing way. Not that its progenitors, who still have a paw recognizable among a thousand have changed their way, but never before had the keyboards nibbled so much on one of their compositions.

With its relaxed atmosphere, this track seems to be taken from a 70's movie for American teenagers, pushing the Swedish hard rock towards rock, or even progressive, witness this "Free Riding", full of synthetic sounds as if escaping from an old Camel. For its part, tinged with woody gleams, 'Graa Dagar' is carved out of a folk and country bark. And what can we say about 'Archaeopteryx In Flight', whose eight minutes open the doors of an instrumental Valhalla that Andy Latimer would not deny. Launched by a sunny saxophone and shaken by an energetic piano, 'Into The Night' is covered up by the shadow of Supertramp, which struggles however with guitars too biting to stifle the hard roots that remain persistent.

Despite an increasingly melodic, almost pop ('Hold On') catchphrase, Horisont (fortunately) doesn't forget where he comes from. Blackmore-style riffs ('Standing Here') and guitar harmonies a la Thin Lizzy ('Sail On') irrigate an album still firmly anchored in the hard rock of the 70s. And then the band still remains this factory of instant anthems, generating melodies that cling to memory. You only have to listen to the 'Pushin' The Line' and other devilishly stirring 'Runaway' to be convinced of this and be carried away by a record rich with a simply irresistible menu. But the emotion is not dampened, as 'Standing Here' and even more so 'Breaking The Chain', where Axel's vocals orchestrates a score full of haunting feeling.

With intelligence, Horisont renews himself and honours a softer vintage hard rock that he punctuates with progressive touches, without giving up either a goldsmith's handwriting or a communicative energy. In doing so, he further establishes his suzerainty by not reducing himself to a banal tribute to the seventies. - Official website

HORISONT

SUDDEN DEATH

CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

HARD ROCK