Eyes: Perfect Vision 20/20

First up, don’t confuse this Eyes with that which featured Jeff Scott Soto back in the 80s, or the British psych act from a decade before. Instead, we’re headed for Sweden here, this set of Eyes being more of a reunion of the band Aces High, who remained bastions of the melodic hard rock scene, with a pinch of something a little heavier, as the rest of the world turned to Seattle for their (often misguided) inspiration. Hence it’s ex-Aces High men Anders Sellborn (bass), Björn H. Lindbäck (drums), Joakim Sandberg (guitars) and Åke David Rickard (keyboards) who now team up with Planet vocalist Peter Andersson for Perfect Vision 20/20.

Musically, while there’s maybe not quite the same histrionics, often it’s the Ritchie Blackmore beasts Deep Purple and Rainbow that spring to mind here, although admittedly we’re talking the less overtly heavy incarnations of both. For me, the two star players are, unsurprisingly, Sandberg and Rickard, who between them offer up a great mix of gyrating guitars and robust keyboard thrusts. However, where things falter ever so slightly is in the vocal department, a solid, but maybe slightly unspectacular style not quite sparking off a set of songs that maybe needed the sort of polish Andersson lacks to truly shine.

That said, the focused push and pull of “Falling In Between (The Joker)�, while maybe aping the moves of Blackmore just a little too religiously (it's genuinely difficult not to sing 'can't happen heeeeeeere!' over it), is undoubtedly memorable and laden with hooks. Across the album, the greater the presence of the keys/Hammond, the stronger the results, “Playing To Win� hitting the mark, while the slower “Never Back Down’, or trudging of “Get Out Of My Head� are possibly where the less exhilarating moments lie.

Good in the main and very good in places, Perfect Vision 20/20 doesn’t quite live up to that faultless prescription. However, for fans of Aces High, or those who hanker for a blast of Rainbow fuelled melodic rock, there’s enough here to enjoy to make it worth at least a spin or two.

Track Listing
1. Playing To Win
2. Turn Of Your Life
3. Get Out Of My Head
4. This Is Us
5. Falling In Between (The Joker)
6. Never Back Down
7. Shot Down In Flames
8. More Than Meets The Eye
9. In The Matrix
10. Cry Another Day

Added: July 16th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Eyes on facebook
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Language: english

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