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ACACIA AVENUE
Cold

AOR Heaven (2014)
Rating: 8/10

With its computer generated artwork, soaring melodies and supergroup-styled format, Acacia Avenue’s Cold appears as somewhat of an archetype in the land of melodic metal. But one cannot argue with such talents; when the songs are this good, I can look past the wintry sleeve and just wade in the icy waters of another slab of AOR heaven.

Acacia Avenue was formed back in 2008 by Torben Enevoldsen (Fate), and in 2010 released their debut self-titled opus. This time round, it’s again a case of who’s who in the melodic rock world as Torben enlists the help of numerous musicians in creating another chirpy horde of hard rockin’ tunes.

Cold features an array of talent such as Rob Moratti (ex-Saga), Peter Sundell (Grand Illusion), Nicklas Sonne (Defecto), Mikael Roupé (Bamboo Brothers), Steve Newman (Newman), Torben Lyshom (Pangea, Mysterell), Albin Ljungqvist (Bamboo Brothers), who all contribute greatly in making this 11-track opus such a joyous listen. Enevoldsen handles the keyboards, bass and guitar on this platter and his talent shines through, as does the drumming talents of Fatal Force’s Dennis Hansen. But, onto the album.

Well, it’s another fine exhibition of uptempo rock songs which contradict the album title, because these are better suited to humid summer nights overlooking a twinkling city. Of the numbers on offer, the heaviest is the cool, gritty groove of ‘Out Of The Business’, featuring Mikael Roupé’s earthy vocals over a driving rhythm section.

It’s angry, impulsive and above all direct as a rock ’n’ roll stomper, but this is in contrast to the sweet, reflective melody of ‘It’s Over’, which has all the hallmarks of a sizzling, late night radio hit as Ljungqvist’s soft tones speak of how it’s “Four in the morning, I can’t seem to sleep… words you were saying are still ringing in my head”. It’s an upbeat, pop-edged number of reflections, but such is the magic caress of the keys that even as a break-up song it’s so wondrously sprightful.

Acacia Avenue provides songs of hope and joy like in the form of cheerful rocker ‘Time’, which features Steve Newman’s convincing strains of “I’m on my own, I remember you once said. Just can’t go on, still trying to forget” over a bouncy marriage of keyboard sprinkles and whining guitar. Then we have the effortless motions of ‘Signs Of Love’ where Moratti comes into his own. It’s a classic boy meets girl tale consisting of a perky riff and a happy chorus, but it’s the piano-lead haunts of ‘Cold’ (featuring Lyshom) and the energetic ‘Calling Out’ (starring Sonne) which grab my attention more than the others, but after a few spins of Cold, each and every track comes into its own.

This is melodic music clearly inspired by the likes of Survivor, Journey, Toto, Boston et al, but in spite of the archetype feel of it all, it still takes a talented musician to craft such energetic and, above all, classy numbers, and it’s the sort of music that no-one ever gets tired of. Classic rock is here to stay; while people such as Torben Enevoldsen are around, then that cheery brand of melodious, driving rock with subtle flashes will never die.

Neil Arnold

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