STATE OF SALAZAR
All The Way
Frontiers (2014)
Rating: 8.5/10
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With a band name that sounds as if it was plucked from some intergalactic fantasy, Swedish rockers State Of Salazar have released their debut full-length opus All The Way, coming two years after 2012’s Lost My Way EP.
This is an album which continues with that uplifting style of rock music which reflects the state of mind of these young upstarts who began life in 2010 from the heart of the Malmö Academy Of Music. Consisting of Marcus Nygren (vocals), Johan Thuresson (guitar), Johannes Hansson (bass), Kristian Brun (drums) and Stefan Mårtenson (keyboards), this bunch of musicians clearly believed that by forming this band that they would be able to offer something different to the masses, and I’m convinced by their burgeoning talents.
All The Way offers 12 solid, anthemic and extremely catchy tunes which should appeal to a wide audience. From the off it’s a case of soaring, pop-tinged and certainly commercial hard rock that boasts a clear, ascending vocal approach and blissful melody. Okay, so there’s a touch of cliché hearing a guy sing about how he’d run miles just to be with you and that he just wants to make your dreams come true, but when the songs are his polished and confident it’s difficult to dismiss it, even if it leans at times more towards the pop rather than the rock.
With the injection of a soaring solo and an all-round ability to carve out modest tunes that hook in immediately, one thing is certain; State Of Salazar are more than capable of writing chart-topping hits, because opener ‘I Believe In You’ is pure gold if you like the magical qualities of bands not just like Toto, but even Queen. Nygren has an innocent yet powerful voice which with a few tweaks could well become one of rock’s most impressive tones as he gloriously works his way through this set of feel good songs.
‘Field Of Dreams’ is a perfect example of how contemporary rock should sound. This is a song that’s more than happy to pay homage to bands such as Europe and Journey, but it’s not reliant on these influences and so attempts to find its own niche.
There’s something so pure and pristine about the jaunty ‘Field Of Dreams’, and the same can be said about the exceptional title track with its honey-coated harmonies. Again, ‘All The Way’ borders on that pop sensibility, but brings with it dramatic keyboard insertions and progressive echoes. And how can one argue with the cosmic drive of ‘Eat Your Heart Out’ and the equally familiar yet inspiring ‘Marie’ with its tap-a-long piano thread?
Somehow, these students have cast away the cheesy afflictions sometimes associated with this sort of harmonious rock, and instead constructed an extravagant and wonderfully confident opus that just revels in its own ability to mesmerise the listener with such beautiful songs as ‘Let Me Love’ and the rockier, AOR-laced pouts of ‘Catastrophe’ which buries its tongue firmly within its cheek.
State Of Salazar’s debut album is one that will take you all the way to the heart of joyous melody and then some.
Neil Arnold
