Salute Heart of the Machine

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by Mark Allen
Staff Writer

Let’s cut right to the heart of the matter like a hunter field-dressing a downed deer: Salute’s sophomore CD is good, but falls considerably short of being great. The band falls victim to too many average choruses and an over-reliance on standard issue hooks that have been heard thousands of times before to qualify this as something special. But for what it is, a stereotypical serving of slick, shiny melodic rock, it’s a solid enough effort.

For the uninitiated, Salute is fronted by Mikael Erlandsson from Last Autumns Dream, and his huskily emotive voice is one of the best things about this band. It possesses subtle power, not immediately resonating as a reckoning force, but creeping up on you as the songs flow along until you realize you are in the hands of a master vocalist. The lyrics often lapse into timeworn melodic rock clichés, but as sung by a maestro like Mikael, they are elevated above their ordinary origins, his uniquely strong tones wringing every last drop of emotion from each syllable. You may not like everything about this band, but the lead vocalist will not be among your complaints.

The production is another highlight, as bright and shiny as the brass buttons on a soldier’s dress uniform. These songs have been polished more than a narcissist’s mirror, courtesy of guitarist/producer Martin Kronlund. The sonics are full and rich and super slick, which often robs the songs of a hard rock edge but offers plenty to impress the AOR/melodic crowd. While the overall style is guitar-driven, there is a considerable keyboard presence on the album, swirling around the crunchy chords like sonic phantoms, never dominating but definitely a vital aspect of Salute’s approach to the genre. Like all other components, the backing/harmony vocals are perfectly pristine, consisting of layer after polished layer. Not that you can really pick him out of the wall of sound, but David Reece provides guest backup vocals which are seamlessly integrated into the myriad of harmonies. Again, you may have some complaints about this CD, but the production quality won’t be one of them.

So what will there be complaints about? Well, as mentioned at the start, the actual songs are a little on the standard order side. “Higher” strives to be a soaring-with-the-angels opener but never quite achieves such lofty heights. “A Falling Star” is a fine mid-tempo tune, but that’s all it is—fine, nothing more. “Feed Your Hunger” ramps up the energy a little bit but is shackled to mediocrity by an average chorus. The first standout track is “I Will Be There,” a melancholic ballad about love lost that allows enough breathing room for Erlandsson’s vocals to carry the melody and hit you in the soft spot of your heart with its bittersweet power.

Following this gem is a string of songs that range in quality from “pretty good” to “total filler.” Then comes the album’s crown jewel, “Train of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” a hellacious hard rock anthem, boasting a big ol’ chorus hook and big backing vocals to plaster the song in your impressed-looking face like a pulverizing fist. Lyrics read like some AC/DC throwaways, but for pure, head-bopping, foot-tapping, fist-pumping, sing-along fun, this is the best track by far.

In the end, this is a perfectly serviceable, middle-of-the-road melodic rock album, rarely straying into hard rock territory, instead opting to cater to those who like things guitar-driven but not too heavy. All things considered, you undoubtedly have heard better, but you’ve also heard much, much worse. If nothing else, Erlandsson’s superb vocals, the high-end production, and a couple of great songs make this album worthy of at least a half-hearted salute.

Band:
Mikael Erlandsson (lead vocals, keyboards)
Martin Kronlund (guitars, bass)
Imre Dauri (drums, percussion)
Henrik Thomsen (bass)

Track Listing
1. Higher
2. A Falling Star
3. Feed Your Hunger
4. I Will Be There
5. Tearing Me Down
6. Heart of the Machine
7. The Long Haul
8. Shadows
9. Train of Rock ‘N’ Roll
10. My Part in This Pain
11. Your Servant Tonight

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Escape Music

Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5/10