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SUNSTRIKE
Rock Your World

AOR Heaven (2014)
Rating: 9/10

Swedish rockers SunStrike is a new band who were formed in 2012 by Astral Doors members Joachim Nordlund (lead guitar) and Johan Lindstedt (drums), and as debut albums go it’s one of 2014’s finest when it comes to huge melodies and epic arrangements.

A few years ago, back in my shattered youth, I much preferred the more bombastic structures of Heaven’s Edge to, say, Danger Danger, but this sextet have the sort of sound that drifts between both of those acts. Vocalist Christian Hedgren (Twilight Force) has a nice clear quality and a fair set of pipes to match which rise higher and higher, walking hand with the ascending leads and cruising rhythms which are built around the framework of those energetic drums and Fredrik Plahn’s (Prey) infectious keyboards.

There is a definite edge about this brand of AOR; not intent on merely existing as floaty clouds of harmony, the band instead prefer to exhibit fantastic guitar work that remains cutting in spite of the bands other ability to provide warmer, more comforting segments.

‘Power Of The Dreams’ is immediately epic; introduced via a screaming police siren and Björn Lundqvist’s (Twilight Force) bubbling bass, the track develops into a kind of Bon Jovi meets Heaven’s Edge-styled groove. The tempo is high throughout; the band upbeat, frisky and fresh, but more so on the brilliant title track with its chant of “We wanna rock your world” and that killer guitar solo. Arguably generic in its arrangement, it still works as a powerhouse of a track that is typical of late 80s melody-laced metal and it never lets up; fist-pumping yet cheeky and cheerful, it embeds itself into the brain with bubble-gum aplomb. This is followed by the chugging ‘Fireball’, a supernova rock track if ever there was one; Hedgren’s voice soars like an eagle as the drums and bass kick hard.

There’s something incredibly effortless about SunStrike, who slide between hard edged metal and then slip into something more sexy and chirpy. ‘Right Track’ is breezy but still hardened by its message, mood and vocal delivery, while ‘Roll The Dice’ is constructed of a killer introductory solo and a menacing chug. If you want true AOR heaven though, then look no further than ‘Higher’, with its deft piano which works in cohorts with a swaying guitar. Chorus-wise it’s another luxurious power ballad that again showcases Hedgren’s vocal ability.

All 12 tracks are beautifully produced, and from this platform the band construct huge songs with choruses that we’ll hopefully still be singing in years to come. ‘Scream And Shout’ sounds so simple, its hard rock delivered with chest-pounding attitude and exhibiting the sort of pre-chorus you just can’t remove from your head. ‘Into The Light’ begins with a gallop but is engulfed in synth melody, while ‘Edge Of Life’ throbs into motion with a stark chord and pulsating effect, before we’re lead off into the dreamy landscape of ‘Heat Of The Night’ with its tumbling drums and driving riffs.

Rock Your World may sound like just another AOR album, but it’s far from it. Lyrically it’s mature, injecting deep, dark stories to interact with those majestic arrangements, and by the time you’ve finished there is only one place to go – back to the start for another journey through this utopian opus. This is a stunning debut album with enough power to blow the cobwebs out of your ears and kick you in the arse at the same time.

Neil Arnold

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