WINTER PARADE - TWO (2008, PERRIS RECORDS)

 

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Winter Parade hail from Norway, and although, as you might guess from the title, 'Two' is only their second full-length album, they've actually been in existence, in one form or another, since 1986. Their previous album, 'Midnight in Paradise' came out in 2002, but now, as they take yet another shot at the limelight, they've managed to secure the services of none other than Beau Hill, renowned for his work with among others, Ratt and Winger, so that no-one can have any complaints about the production and mixing of the album. It sounds great, and on that count alone, the band can feel proud of what they've achieved.

But is the music any good? Well it is actually but whilst the album is enjoyable enough you can't help but be struck by how much Winter Parade remind you of other bands. There are a number of places in the music where you think ' Damn! that bit sounds a lot like (insert name of AOR legend here)'. Some of the PR for the album makes claims about Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Journey, which to be quite honest, is a bit misleading. Winter Parade's sound is rooted firmly in the 80s certainly, and although the mighty Journey are clearly an influence, far better comparisons can be made with pure AOR legends such as White Sister and Tall Stories even, particularly in some of the keyboard sounds, 70s pomp bands like Starcastle and early Kansas. However overall this is unquestionably a European melodic rock band, and there are clear echoes of the likes of Treat and Urban Tale here, which for me, is no bad thing at all.

AOR fans will probably really enjoy Two, the playing is good particularly Dice Jacobsen's guitar, and the songs are good with plenty of hooks. 'Real Life City', the album opener, sets the tone. This could have been a huge radio hit in 1989, seriously, and the rest of the album definitely lives up to the promise shown in the opener. A long time in the making but Winter Parade have managed to show that there's a lot of talent and ideas in the band and I hope to be able to hear more from them in the future.

 

 

WINTER PARADE - TWO (2008, PERRIS RECORDS)

 

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The Norwegian rock band WINTER PARADE just completed their 2nd album "Two" for Perris Records. The CD was mastered by Beau Hill. WINTER PARADE 's debut album "Midnight In Paradise" was high acclaimed worldwide and the band is looking to gain a huge fan base as “Two” hits the nation.

 

Starting things off is “Real Life City” a vibrant tune in the mold of Joey Tempest and EUROPE with a touch of Jim Santos’ and NORWAY. Tantalizing keyboards with powerful vocals sure to make melodic rock fan running for a copy of “Two”..

Man “Homeward Bound” would be a cool tune for a new James Bond movie, so move over DURAN DURAN. Smooth keyboards hooks, and check this master behind the keyboards, drums and guitar all courtesy of Dice Jacobsen.

 

Another good tune is “Rollercoasting” that has a taste of STYX and blasts some great melodic riffs. Loved the harmonies on this one.

One of my favorite tunes is “Leave It Behind” that shows the band can compete with the best of them with lyrics and their songwriting ability. WINTER PARADE are classic and has the edge on many melodic masters out their as they climb the ladder to success with “Two”. No doubt, longevity is in the cards for WP as you will hear killer melodic tunes as well as sentimental rockers. Just check out the screaming guitar work by Dice on “PFAM” as Bjorn Westum bellows his platinum vocals.

 

You know one thing these boys have is the key to many hearts with those brainwashing keyboards as on "Gone (From My Life)". This is one of those tunes that you can be sitting anywhere in the world and that damn keyboard riff with be tinkering in you mind. Great job! Not only that Dice goes of the hook with some great guitar slashing. You know I hate this song already because I listened to it 20 times already, first EUROPE with “Final Countdown” now friggin’ WINTER PARADE with “Gone”. Thanks guys.

 

Well there you have it, another killer melodic rock release on Perris records one of the leading Indie labels signing the best of the best. Add WINTER PARADE “Two” to your collection today

 

 

 

WINTER PARADE - TWO (2008, PERRIS RECORDS)

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Background
Well it's taken me awhile to get around to this review. You can blame the Pony Express for not getting my hands on this disc sooner. Winter Parade, the boys from Norway are back with a new album, ingeniously titled 'Two'. Err yeah! Anyone remember their 2002 debut 'Midnight In Paradise'? If we wind the clock back earlier, the band if you recall was tied up with that White Diamond saga from 2001. The late Don Lemmon (an interesting character no two ways about it) was an influential figure in bringing Winter Parade to the forefront, and somehow WP got caught up in the hoopla. If we forget about all that WD drama for a moment, what we are left with is a pretty talented band with flair and flash combined. Now down to a trio, Messrs Westum, Jacobsen, and Riise have been through the up's and down's of life over the last six years, including ill band members, family bereavements, but have still managed to concoct an album's worth of material on a shoestring budget. Actually, the shoestrings would cost money, so I'll rephrase that.. 'less than a shoestring budget'. Gotta hand it to the boys, quality control is pretty good throughout - all things considered, and that fluid Ronnie LeTekro styled lead guitar from Diceman just gets me everytime! Beau Hill, the producer legend from the 80's, handles the mastering, so you are guaranteed that the production and mix is top-notch.

The Songs
A bright and harmony laden beginning is presented to us with 'Real Life City'. Keyboard dabs and fancy guitar work from Dice land this right in the center of melodic hard rock. One listen to this and you'll be consigning the latest TNT effort 'Atlantis' into the bin. Honestly, this is the sort of stuff Ronnie and Tony should be doing. 'St Johns Asylum' has an unusual vocal harmony, not withstanding the songtitle. A google search reveals that St Johns Asylum was once a mental institution in Britain. Interesting subject matter for sure, and I have to ask (from the lyrics) 'who is Holden'? Synths take the lead on 'Homeward Bound'. I did hear this track prior to the album release, and remarked then about the abundance of synth lead. Admittedly it's not one of my favorite tracks.. I really liked the supercooled fluidity of 'I'm Still Alive', nice verses and a killer chorus. One of the highlights for me. 'Rollercoasting' starts out as an anthem, and builds purposefully to a crossroads chorus - a meeting place of harmony vocals. 'Lions Den' has a near celtic introduction like 80's era Gary Moore, but it's soon shaken off with WP's brand of melodic rock, this time with some tasty synth stabs and guitar squeals. The solo spot showcases Dice's amazing six string grasp. 'Reasons (Leave It Behind)' combines those tasty keyboards and sonic guitar playing yet again. This one really has an 80's feel to it, as does the song titled 'PFAM', but the acronym reads 'Praying For A Miracle'. To be honest, the synth swells on 'Gone (From My Life)' is another 80's contender, and one wonders what would've happened if WP had struck the same sort of success as Stage Dolls did back in the day. The last track 'Sophomoronic' slows down the pace, and flows nicely, though the lyrics through the chorus sound kinda awkward.. 'so damned sophomoronic'. I had to look up the word to see what it meant! lol! There is a sax solo on this one which I feel didn't quite work. Ah well, it was the end of the album..

In Summary
PB Riise tells us that the best song Winter Parade recorded during the sessions never actually made it onto the CD. 'The cool/weird part is that the very best song never made it onto the album.. the reason why would fill several volumes, so I won't bore you with that, but believe me, that song has me in awe still, one year after Dice and I wrote it' says PB. Bummer! Oh well, looks like they will have to save it for another album then. The thing I like about this album is the overall 80's vibe it has. There are plenty of keys, so that will please most of you here, and the guitarwork is sometimes off the planet! Another solid release from a band well revered at this website. You can either buy the Perris Records locally in the USA, in Japan it is available from Spiritual Beast Records, or you can obtain it online at CD Baby. There, all the bases are covered.

WINTER PARADE -MIDNIGHT IN PARADISE (2002, MTM)

 

METALKINGS.COM

One of the best debut albums in three past years to say the least. Imagine a mix of classic hard rock tracks in the vein of Whitesnake and Swedish outfit Snakes In Paradise. Two of those songs were already released on the rare album of American band White Diamond "The Lost Demos". The singer there was the same but Neal Grusky of Takara delivered the guitar goods. Concerning Winter Parade there have rarely been such an awesome album from newcomers recently. All songs ideally fit into an undisclosed concept of the album. It's hard to say what song is better; all of them sound great. The disc is highly recommended to real fans of melodic hard rock - no regrets!