TREAT: Organized Crime (MELODIC HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

With "Dreamhunter", Treat seemed to have reached its plenitude and proposed a Hard FM /Aor of a rare quality. However, to everyone's surprise, and while the band seemed to be in constant progression with each album, it is the line-up of the first opus ("Scratch And Bite") that is reconstituted. And even if the soul of Treat seems to be in the heart of the trio composed by Anders Wikstrom, Robert Ernlund and Jamie Borger, the return of Patrick Applegren behind the keyboards will be important because it will allow Wikstrom to devote himself exclusively to his 6 strings.

Let's say it right now, "Organized Crime" leaves far behind the rest of Treat's discography which was however of a more than respectable level. Indeed, the Swedish combo seems boosted by the return of the original members and sure of its strength. The usual sense of melody is reinforced by efficient riffs of a power rarely reached by Wikstrom and his band. From the very first bars of "Ready For The Taking" Treat takes us in a whirlwind perfectly summarized on tracks such as "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" or "Home Is Where Your Heart Is". The melody is well present, as proven by the Queen-like choirs and the immediate refrains. But this one is reinforced by a power worthy of a train taking off for an irresistible race.

Anders Wikstrom is in an Olympic form, multiplying the luminous soli and finding in Applegren a partner of game at the same time complicit and complementary. Their exchange on the solo of "Gimme One More Night" is the perfect example or on the hyper-dynamic "Conspiracy" which would probably have been a hit on the radio if he had received more support from his label. Guitarists will appreciate the stylistic exercise worthy of the greatest.

As the production is up to the mark, Larson also takes advantage of it to be highlighted and to offer powerful and dynamic bass lines, perfectly complementary to his rhythm section partner. As for Robert Ernlund, he blossoms in the midst of his fellow players and takes on a greater dimension. The anxieties which could exist until now when the frontman pushed his singing a little, are not any more. The singer graces us with a few power rises that propel certain tracks with mastery and dynamism. This dynamism makes sense on the ballad "Stay Away" or on the cover of "Get You On The Run", a track present on "Scratch And Bite", the band's first album. On "Stay Away", Treat finally seems to master the art of the power ballad by not falling into the trap of mawkishness, while "Get You On The Run" finds a new lease of life by being rid of the somewhat sluggish side of its original version.

It is thus a group at the top of its art which comes to offer us a work which must be impossible to circumvent for all the amateurs of melodic Hard Rock with tendency FM. This album will take its place next to Tobruk's "Wild On The Run" or TNT's "Realized Fantasies" and will stand comparison without having to be ashamed of it. The proof is that, just like its fellow players, it has managed to stand the test of time without getting old. Here is a rare work that deserves its place on the summit of the genre's fame. - Official website

TREAT

ORGANIZED CRIME

VERTIGO

MELODIC HARD ROCK