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Wigelius: Reinventions

Frontiers Records has made a name for themselves over the years releasing plenty of solid AOR and melodic rock from countless acts around the world. Add Sweden's Wigelius to that long list, and their debut for the label Reinventions. Wigelius features vocalist Anders Wigelius, who rose to fame after appearing on the Swedish TV show True Talent last year where he sang Journey´s classic "Don´t Stop Believin". Prior to forming this new band Anders grew up listening to and was influenced by Richard Marx, Toto, Journey and Foreigner and also played in a AOR covers band called Gamblers early on. Joining the vocalist in this band are Erik Wigelius (Drums), Jake Svensson (Guitars), and Chris "Wielbass" Pettersson (Bass), and their debut was produced by Daniel Flores.

Without a doubt Anders has a fantastic voice, and he and his band churn out 12 tracks of polished, catchy, melodic rock music that just screams the mid '80s. "I Reach Out", "Talking About Love", and "Angeline" are all crisp rockers with memorable hooks, and the harder rocking "Do You Really Know" recalls vintage Toto, Bad English, and Night Ranger with its mix of crunchy guitar and catchy melodies. Svensson's tasty guitar solos play off Anders' smooth crooning on the memorable "Next to Me" (which could have easily been a hit back in 1987), and the hard rocking "Too Young to Fall in Love" brings the CDs raunchiest guitar licks to the forefront amidst a catchy chorus. Of course, you have to take the good with the bad (or should I say 'bland'), and in this case there are perhaps a few too many sappy ballads ("There is No Me Without You", "Love Can Be That Much", and "My Cassandra" to start), but generally those who love this genre expect that, and in truth much of what is on display here is more than solid enough.

Wigelius, the band, have shown here they are a very competent band, and Wigelius, specifically Anders, is one hell of a singer. Fans of AOR & melodic rock would be well advised to check this debut out, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more about them in the years to come.


Track Listing
1.Angeline
2.Talking about love
3.Do you really know
4.Next to me
5.My Cassandra
6.Piece of the action
7.Too young to fall in love
8.Right here Right now
9.Love can be that much
10.Hold on to love
11.There is no me without you
12.I reach out

Added: October 5th 2012
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Frontiers Records
Hits: 2968
Language: english

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Wigelius: Reinventions
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2012-10-05 16:01:09
My Score:

OK, let's put the awful band name Wigelius to one side. Whether it is the surname of the band's drummer Erik and his brother Anders, the latter who came to prominence on Sweden's talent show The Talent (what is it with obvious names these days??), there's no getting away from the fact that it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

More inspired however is the music on Reinventions, the debut album from the brother Wiggy, which while far from original, or individual, does manage to be exactly the sort of release that Frontiers Records devotees are liable to soil their underwear over. Thick riffs, soaring vocals and melodic keyboard breaks make for an album that combines the oomph of WET with the reach for the sky brightness of Grand Illusion, although not quite as stupendously as either of those acts do. However as debuts go, this is sterling stuff. I mean it won't blow your house down, or have hordes of people demanding to know who you are listening to, but then neither does it leave you feeling flat, or fighting off a gaggle of folks demanding you turn off that racket. If AOR is your squeeze, then prepare for a night of all in smoochie-cooching, where you are guaranteed a big proud hickey, even if the promise of going all the way is hinted at without ever being quite delivered.

Anders has a great voice, soaring when required, deep and full of character if the possibility arises and it has to be said that he belts these tracks out with complete and believable conviction - raising what could veer into run of the mill fare into captivating tracks that stand up to repeated listens pretty well. The likes of the mid-paced "Right Here, Right Now", being a prime example of how passionate vocals and well thought through arrangements can take well worn ideas and keep them interesting. Add to that the jaunty, yet hard rocking raunch of "Piece Of The Action", or the more keyboard led, yet still full on "Hold On To Love" and it becomes apparent that Wigelius can turn their hand to the full AOR gamut.

The brother Wigelius are ably assisted by Jake Svensson (guitars) and Chris "Wielbass" Pettersson (bass), with special mention also going to producer Daniel Flores for a scintillating sound, making Reinventions a debut to be reckoned with and one that the AOR mafia will undoubtedly drool over.

Wigelius: Reinventions
Posted by Michael Popke, SoT Staff Writer on 2012-07-12 13:02:44
My Score:

If you were to judge Wigelius by its name, you might think this Swedish band plays neoclassical metal. The cover, on the other hand, suggests a prog/hard-rock hybrid, and the annoying numerals-mixed-with-letters album title, R3INV3NT1ONS, along with the band photo on the back, would lead you to conclude these are nothing more than snotty, eyeliner-wearing sleaze rockers. But, lo and behold, the debut album by the band built around vocalist Anders Wigelius — who performed Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " on a nationally televised singing competition in Sweden — revels in the AOR stylings of Toto and Richard Marx.

These four young dudes apparently have not stopped believin', because R3INV3NT1ONS is loaded with references to the halcyon days of the Eighties. Sure, the song titles are clichés: "I Reach Out," "Hold On To Love," "There Is No Me Without You." But the album opens with the breezy harmonies of rocker "Angeline," and the massive choruses and irresistible hooks of "Next to Me" and "Do You Really Know" lift the album another notch. "Talking About Love" is a mid-tempo ballad that reveals the vocal similarities between Wigelius and Marx — accentuated even more on "Love Can Be That Much." "Piece of the Action," on the other hand, the band's attempt at sleaze metal, doesn't work. The band proves it can still rock on "Too Young to Fall in Love" and "Right Here, Right Now."

Perhaps Wigelius is trying to do too much on R3INV3NT1ONS. But this is a promising beginning, and it's exactly the kind of band that belongs on the Frontiers Records label.




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