Metalite: Expedition One

Metalite embark on Expedition One, but don’t be fooled, this is the Swedish outfit’s third album, but other things are less difficult to decipher even before you’ve put this CD in the player. A dark, foreboding, futuristic, spacey yet still somehow cartoon-like illustration on the cover… bold logo… female lead singer looking seductively back at you (and with quite a lot of, well, butt on show)… this is metal, right? But not, you know, that scary shit that growls and grinds, this is that stuff that makes you wonder who handed ABBA a power chord. Then flip the cover over and floating in the space scene on the rear you discover 14 tracks - and 2 bonus cuts - with themed names like “Utopia�, “Outer Worlds�, “Aurora� and “Disciples Of The Stars�. Yes kiddies, hold my hand while we enter the world of power (well, pop) metal concept albums! Yippee!!

Now, excuse my cynicism, but there’s a plethora of this stuff out there purporting to be metal (I mean this band’s name is a pun on Metal-Lite isn’t it?) while actually shoving big keyboards - that no one in the band actually seems to want to own up to playing - right up front and then lacing things with a few riffs, clattering drums (actually, Lea Larsson behind the kit is a stand-out right across this album) the occasional guitar solo and some key changes - a lot of key changes. Formulaic this may be, but should that stop Expedition One from being loads of fun? Not one jot because this lot know how to write tight songs, have them gallop, infuse them with melody and in the shape of Erica Ohlsson (the lass on the cover of this album and all of the band’s releases I believe) they have a singer who makes each and every track believable. But, boy is there a lot to get through and at over 70 minutes of music, while we all want bang for our buck, do we really want to feel this spent after that explosion?

Don’t get me wrong, “Paradise� is great fun, the vocals shattering the skies, the guitar solo searing with passion and the drums holding it all together, while “Cyberdome� is a juggernaut of choruses and hooks. In fact nothing here is anything less than crafted and skilled, and I’d say that if you absolutely love your pop-metal, then Metalite should be right at the top of your list of things to do, even if there are basically zero surprises to be found anywhere on Expedition One.

Track Listing
1. Expedition One

2. Aurora

3. CtrlAltDel

4. Cyberdome

5. Blazing Skies

6. Outer Worlds

7. New Generation

8. In My Dreams

9. Disciples Of The Stars

10. Free

11. Legendary

12. Paradise

13. Sanctum Of Light

14. Utopia

15. Take My Hand (bonus track)

16. Hurricane (bonus track)

Added: April 20th 2024
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Metalite online
Hits: 182
Language: english

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