Weight of the World

Untitled Document Only two weeks ago, I told you about a fantastic melodic hard rock album released by Jeff Scott Soto and company with their debut Humanimal release. This week, I have the pleasure to tell you about yet another very strong melodic hard rock album, Weight of the World by Harem Scarem. Frontiers Records is known for releasing quality melodic hard rock/metal albums. Ten is a great example. Harem Scarem represents their label very well as this slab of melodic hard rock will revive memories of the big stadium tours of the 1980's, while maintaining a fresh sound for the new millenium. This is the type of album I would love to see modern day Def Leppard release, but I just don't see that happening. The mainstay of this album are the HUGE harmony vocals similar to Hysteria era Def Leppard or even the lesser known 80's band, Blue Tears, but with more of a punch. After only the first listen to this CD, you will find that the melodies have attached themselves to your brain and are not going away anytime soon. Backed by catchy guitar riffs, the strong harmony vocals are the main selling point of this album. Each and every track (excluding the instrumentals of course) are loaded with sing along harmony vocal lines. I would also say that the band themselves are very comfortable with their insturments. There are plenty of well done solos and occasional shredding to add an extra kick to these already energetic songs. There is one ballad on the disc, This Ain't Over, a power ballad with an emotional piano line in the background. There are also two instrumental tracks, but we are left with eight tracks of melodic hard rock bliss. The catchy chorus lines, complete with the first rate harmony vocals make each song distinguisable and instantly recognizable. There are a couple of notable surprises on this album. Killing Me and You Ruined Everything, as the titles suggest, carry a bit of an angry feel to it. The harmony vocals are still as good and catchy as ever, but these are the more modern sounding tracks of the album. I wouldn't go as far as to call them "modern rock" tracks, but simply a reminder that this album is not a duplication of the happy go lucky hard rock that so many bands have already done two decades ago. It is a very fresh approach that works well for the band. If you grew up listening to melodic rock acts during the 80's in the same vein as Def Leppard, and are looking for a band that delivers the same strong melodies, harmony vocals, catchy riffs, but with a more mature theme, look no further. This album will surely bring back memories of old, but will not sound like a dated rehash of the past.