H.E.A.T.: Welcome to the Future

It's always fun when I decide to take the plunge on a new album from a band that's been highly recommended to me, but I've happily ignored for a period of time, and then completely falling in love with said new album and then gobbling up the entirety of that band's catalog in short order. In this instance, that band is Sweden's H.E.A.T. and their latest release Welcome to the Future. For those not familiar with H.E.A.T., this is their current line-up:

Jimmy Jay: bass guitar, backing vocals (2007-present)
Jona Tee: keyboards, backing vocals (2007-present)
Don Crash: drums (2007-present), backing vocals (2013-present)
Dave Dalone: guitar, backing vocals (2007-2013, 2016-present)
Kenny Leckremo: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2007-2010, 2020-present)

As you can see, the band is basically back to their original line-up with the return of Leckremo a few years ago, taking over from the excellent Erik Grönwall, who left to join Skid Row and has now moved on to the Michael Schenker Group. Welcome to the Future is their 8th studio album.

Things kick off with "Disaster", and holy massive hard rock here Batman! The riffs are huge, the vocals are like Joey Tempest (Europe) on steroids, with loads of shredding guitars. What a kick ass opener! "Bad Time for Love" follows with a big arena rock sound that includes massive guitars, a chorus that is so memorable, almost ike the best of Europe, but kicked up a notch. Next up is the total earworm "Running to You", with a chorus that gets stuck in your head and never lets go, amazing lead & backing vocals, heavy guitars...brilliant. "Call My Name" is a chugging AOR/melodic rock song, lots of emotion and power here, amazing vocals from Kenny Leckremo, and I adore the chorus. "In Disguise" presents us with another driving, melodic rock chorus, nice use of keys, but it's still fairly heavy, and it's all once again totally memorable.

"The End" features another total earworm of a chorus...the synths work so well on this one, resulting in another crunchy, anthemic slice of melodic rock. Kenny's vocals are great! Up next is "Rock Bottom", no, not the KISS song, but a snarling, nasty hard rock/metal track with a vicious guitar lick, and Kenny's vocals are again channeling Joey Tempest at his snarling best. It's one of my favorites here, and the chorus is fist-pumping glorious! "Children of the Storm" reminds me of Nightwish if they had gone melodic rock...good stuff, more keyboard oriented, with a huge chorus, and "Losing Game" contains a killer opening riff, another high-intensity hard rocker, and memorable as all hell. Another gem is "Paradise Lost"... more glorious arena rock/symphonic rock/melodic rock/hard rock hybrid, with an amazing chorus. "Tear It Down (rock n roll rebel)" is a mid-paced but pretty heavy number, with an epic feel to it, love the slow, crushing riffs, and another can't miss chorus. Guitar tones on this track (and album!) are monstrous. Kenny has his metal voice on this one big time! Another favorite here! Closing out the album is "We Will Not Forget", complete with a big anthemic chorus, nice blend of keys and heavy guitars, layers of vocals, and again, that wonderful chorus.

This is an amazing album, so full of hooks, cranking guitars, soaring & powerful vocals, the instrumentation is tight and well done, and the production is huge. Where has this band been all my life?

Track Listing
1. "Disaster" 3:45
2. "Bad Time for Love" 3:01
3. "Running to You" 3:03
4. "Call My Name" 4:15
5. "In Disguise" 3:36
6. "The End" 4:25
7. "Rock Bottom" 3:30
8. "Children of the Storm" 4:01
9. "Losing Game" 4:06
10. "Paradise Lost" 3:49
11. "Tear It Down (R.N.R.R.)" 4:31
12. "We Will Not Forget" 3:26

Added: September 14th 2025
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 58
Language: english

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