{"id":48794,"date":"2015-03-23T20:24:12","date_gmt":"2015-03-24T01:24:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=48794"},"modified":"2015-03-23T20:24:12","modified_gmt":"2015-03-24T01:24:12","slug":"reach-reach-out-to-rock-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2015\/reach-reach-out-to-rock-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Reach | Reach Out To Rock<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

\"ReachCover\"Abundance in cross-genre cover versions is a staple of the music industry nowadays. More than often, the difference between the song\u2019s original version and the contemporary artist\u2019s take on it is simply extreme music-wise\u2026 Each of you can probably recall the experience of having your own mini-heart attack upon hearing one of such, Groove Coverage\u2019s version of Alice Cooper\u2019s \u201cPoison\u201d for example. Luckily for those of us who are still about to rock (and salute to), sometimes it gets the other way around with covers. And as a result of it, all of a sudden the mediocre dance\/EMD smash gets a whole new Rock-ish vibe to it. Do you remember such moments of excellence, as Wig Wam recording their own version of Mel C\u2019s \u201cI Turn To You\u201d or Jaded Heart\u2019s take on Backstreet Boys\u2019 \u201cLarger Than Life\u201d? The young Swedish outfit named Reach joined the same league as they re-arranged and re-recorded \u201cWake Me Up\u201d which originally is a 2013 number-one hit by the EDM giant and their countryman, Avicii. The catch, however, was that the cover version of \u201cWake Me Up\u201d was one of the first Reach recordings ever done, misleading some into thinking the Swedes are nothing more than a cover band. It\u2019s thus no wonder that the quartet sees their newly released full-length debut Reach Out To Rock<\/em> as an attempt to deny such suppositions.<\/p>\n

The album\u2019s opening track \u201cYou Called My Name\u201d was also chosen to be the first single off it, and there are several assets to it that prompted such a choice. It\u2019s a good example of the path the band\u2019s embarked on and a clear manifestation of their Melodic Hard Rock sound, both the classic big chorus formula it\u2019s embedded in and its modern flavors. By the rules of the genre, it\u2019s the lead guitar work that is in the foreground here, the rhythm section being somewhat relegated to the background, but nevertheless tight and dynamic. Alex Waghorn\u2019s mainly mid-range, solid vocals complement the track in an unfettered manner. Next goes \u201cFortune & Fame\u201d with its excellent vocal harmonies, preceding the guitar-infused, melody-driven intensity of \u201cTell Me\u201d \u2013 an infectiously catchy number three.<\/p>\n

Based on a simple drum beat, and accompanied by a pumping bass line and a frugal guitar riff, \u201cWe Are\u201d gradually reveals the underlying anthem-ic quality to it, exploding in its powerful choruses and blistering solo. \u201cSomeone Like You\u201d is a melodic mid-tempo built around the contrast between the mellow, pared-down verses and the feisty choruses. It precedes \u201cThe Beast,\u201d its title aptly chosen as there\u2019s certain fierceness to its low-key, heavy guitar sound. It\u2019s perhaps as close to Metal as Reach could have ever got without crossing the boundaries of their own genre, some clear melodic tints nevertheless kept throughout the entire track. It\u2019s paired with \u201cMake Me Believe\u201d that, similarly to its predecessor, also juxtaposes the relatively heavy and thick instrumental work with massive vocal harmonies and a well-crafted melody. <\/p>\n

Imbued with \u201880s Melodic Rock spirit all over \u2013 its mammoth choruses in particular \u2013 \u201cReach Out\u201d is the album\u2019s indisputable highlight. That is perhaps why \u201cLooking For Love\u201d somewhat pales in comparison to it, in spite of being a very solid, catchy rocker on its own. And, certainly, it\u2019s no weakest link among the songs on Reach Out To Rock \u2013 surprisingly, it\u2019s the final mid-tempo \u201cComing Home\u201d that is one, an ordinary and somewhat uninspired ending to the excellent album. <\/p>\n

Those who have found the aforementioned version of \u201cWake Me Up\u201d appealing certainly won\u2019t be disappointed with Reach Out To Rock<\/em>. Music-wise, it\u2019s the same style Reach\u2019s take on Avicii EDM smash presented \u2013 a bit polished perhaps. Hardly innovative, but infectiously catchy, the band\u2019s debut record is strongly embedded in Melodic Rock sound aesthetics and a recording of high quality. Style-wise, it draws as much from the classic Journey and Europe as it does from the current heavyweights of the genre \u2013 think Brother Firetribe (sans the earsplitting, massive keys) or H.E.A.T. That\u2019s why all who are into this kind of music \u2013 fans of the old guard as well as followers of their successors \u2013 should give this young Swedish quartet a try. There\u2019s no way they could regret it.<\/p>\n

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

Band:
\nAlex Waghorn \u2013 vocals
\nLudvig Turner \u2013 guitars
\nDavid Jones \u2013 bass
\nMarcus Johansson \u2013 drums <\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tYou Called My Name
\n2.\tFortune & Fame
\n3.\tTell Me
\n4.\tWe Are
\n5.\tSomeone Like You
\n6.\tThe Beast
\n7.\tMake Me Believe
\n8.\tReach Out
\n9.\tLooking For Love
\n10.\tComing Home<\/p>\n

Label: Sun Hill Production, Cargo Records<\/p>\n

Website: www.facebook.com\/reachofficialsweden<\/a><\/p>\n

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

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Senior Columnist — Abundance in cross-genre cover versions is a staple of the music industry nowadays. More than often, the difference between the song\u2019s original version and the contemporary artist\u2019s take […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":48796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12394],"tags":[9519,2317,2847,10994,10995,9518],"class_list":{"0":"post-48794","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2015","8":"tag-cargo-records","9":"tag-cd-review","10":"tag-melodic-hard-rock","11":"tag-reach","12":"tag-reach-out-to-rock","13":"tag-sun-hill-production"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48794","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=48794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}