{"id":43565,"date":"2014-08-05T10:44:33","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T15:44:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=43565"},"modified":"2014-08-05T10:47:56","modified_gmt":"2014-08-05T15:47:56","slug":"grand-design-thrill-of-the-night-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/grand-design-thrill-of-the-night-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Design | Thrill Of The Night<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"GrandWith their 2009 debut Time Elevation<\/em> and 2011 Idolizer<\/em>, Grand Design made quite a buzz among melodic rock fans, having crafted what is perhaps the best Def Leppard albums that Joe Eliott and his gang never really recorded. And although this year saw another tremendous Leppard-esque release \u2013 this time from LoudLion, whose debut is deliberately Hysteria on steroids \u2013 it seems Grand Design are not going to lay back. What is more, Thrill Of The Night<\/em> \u2013 out via AOR Heaven in September \u2013 sounds fresh enough to be more than just a blatant Pyromania<\/em> rip-off.<\/p>\n

Of course, there are certain Leppard-ish elements to this album and it doesn\u2019t really take a longtime fan\u2019s well-trained ear to notice them. But even though the melody line of feisty rocker \u201cRawk N Roll Heart Attack\u201d may remind you a bit of \u201cPour Some Sugar On Me,” not even to mention the \u201cwall of sound\u201d vocal harmonies in every single track \u2013 it\u2019s still more of an inspiration than emulation. And still, not only Def Leppard but the entire \u201880s melodic rock\/hair metal scene was about big choruses led by powerful group chants, the Sheffield-based quintet being just the confirmation of the general rule.<\/p>\n

These strong vocal harmonies, which are perhaps the strongest point also to the Grand Design\u2019s now trademark style, are especially perspicuous in dramatized mid-tempo \u201cThe Rush Is Gone\u201d or Erik M\u00e5rtensson co-penned party anthem \u201cWho\u2019s Gonna Rawk You Tonite.\u201d And the band, it seems, aren\u2019t eager to look back too much anyway, as alongside modern production also the guitar riffs on the album are far from sounding dated, as in \u201cU Got Me Good\u201d or \u201c10 Outta Ten.\u201d <\/p>\n

Squeezed between straightforward rock up-tempos, \u201cWhen The Greatest Love Of All Kicks In\u201d is a saccharine power ballad crafted with the intention of tugging at listener\u2019s heartstrings (or gathering the crowd of snuggling couples during the band\u2019s live performances, one could skeptically notice). And although there is much to be said about the blistering lead guitar work that enriches the track, it\u2019s not the sole highlight of the entire record, as every melodic rock fan will surely find themselves reveling also in killer hook of \u201cRip Iddup\u201d or the deliberate infectiousness of the eponymous song\u2019s choruses. <\/p>\n

Grand Design are the name to be reckoned with in modern-day melodic rock scene, and their reputation is certainly a well-earned one. Thrill of The Night portrays the Swedes\u2019 return in fine form, again following the formula perhaps predictable, but nevertheless mastered by them to the point of perfection. With their third outing, they couldn\u2019t have possibly let down the longtime fans of theirs. It\u2019s as solid, well-performed and catchy record as the previous two \u2013 and a valuable addition to your melodic rock album collection. In the case of fire, save Hysteria<\/em> and Pyromania<\/em> first, but remember to take Thrill Of The Night<\/em> to safety thereon. <\/p>\n

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nPelle Saether \u2013 vocals
\nDennis Vestman \u2013 guitar
\nJanne Stark \u2013 lead guitar
\nMats Vassfjord \u2013 bass
\nMagnus Ulfstedt \u2013 drums<\/p>\n

Tracklist:
\n1. U Got Me Good
\n2. Rawk N Roll Heart Attack
\n3. The Rush Is Gone
\n4. 10 Outta 10
\n5. When The Greatest Love Of All Kicks In
\n6. Rip Iddup
\n7. Get Up N Love Someone
\n8. You\u2019re The Only One
\n9. Who\u2019s Gonna Rawk You Tonite
\n10. Thrill Of The Nite<\/p>\n

Label: AOR Heaven<\/p>\n

Website:
\nhttp:\/\/www.granddesignrocks.com<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.facebook.com\/granddesignsweden<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Columnist — With their 2009 debut Time Elevation and 2011 Idolizer, Grand Design made quite a buzz among melodic rock fans, having crafted what is perhaps the best Def Leppard albums […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":43567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[9075,2317,9764,9763,2847,9765],"class_list":{"0":"post-43565","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-aor-heaven","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-grand-design","11":"tag-janne-stark","12":"tag-melodic-hard-rock","13":"tag-thrill-of-the-night"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43565"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43565\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}