Wuthering Heights Salt
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Salt is the fifth album from Danish progressive/power metal band Wuthering Heights. The band, which features Astral Doors frontman Nils Patrik Johansson, is one of the more creative bands in the genre, cherry-picking the best elements of progressive and power metal and incorporating folk melodies and instruments like the mandolin and accordion. Once again, the band has enlisted Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Jorn) as engineer. Hansen also guests on Hammond organ and accordion.
Wuthering Heights has suffered from way too much turnover in the ranks, but has held its current lineup in place for 5-6 years now, and it shows in the music. The band seems more cohesive, and they also seem to be giving 100% to this album. The melodies are captivating without getting too repetitive, there’s a high degree of technicality, especially in the guitar and keyboard areas, and Johansson’s vocals are inspired. He sounds so much like the late Ronnie James Dio that it’s almost eerie. Folk elements play a somewhat lesser role on Salt, but they’re still utilized to good effect.
It’s striking how much more mature Salt is than the band’s 2004 album Far From the Madding Crowd, thanks in large part of Erik Ravn’s songwriting. Salt is not a concept album per se, though the concept of the sea features prominently in the lyrics. The connection is obvious on songs like “The Mad Sailor” and “Lost at Sea,” and less so on songs like “Tears” and “The Field,” where the salt water comes in the form of tears and sweat. The lyrics are a real highlight of Salt, as they’re moving, poetic, and manage to avoid the genre’s clichés (and avoid Tolkien, finally). There’s just a powerful spirit running through these songs, and it’s as evident on the 2-minute songs as it is on the 16-minute epic closer.
Wuthering Heights has never released a bad album, but until now they really haven’t released a truly great one either. Salt is easily the band’s best work, and marks a significant step forward for the band, especially in terms of songwriting. It’s one of the best progressive metal albums of 2010, and should be enough to either make you a Wuthering Heights fan or bring you back to the fold if you haven’t been following the band of late.
Genre: Progressive Metal, Power Metal
Band:
Erik Ravn (g) (k) (b) (v)
Nils Patrik Johansson (v)
Marten G. Sorensen (d)
Teddy Moller (b) (g) (v)
Martin Arendal (g)
Andreas Lindahl (k)
Track Listing:
1. Away!
2. The Desperate Poet
3. The Mad Sailor
4. The Last Tribe (Mother Earth)
5. Tears
6. Weather the Storm
7. The Field
8. Water of Life
9. Lost at Sea
Label: Sensory
Website: www.wuthering-heights.dk
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10