Review: Sum of All – Time to Leave

Self-Release (May 23^rd, 2025)

Reviewer – Jason Hopper

Sum of All is a Swedish band from Vansbro in Dalarna that has created a sound that they say both honors and develops classic hard rock. The members are seasoned musicians from cover bands and other projects who decided to make their own music together.  What the listening audience ends up with is a band that, while enjoyable, may not do enough to stand out from their contemporaries.

The album starts out strong. The band was wise to release their best song as a single last year.  ‘Lost and Found’ was the track that made me want to review the band and is one of the best songs on the album. A solid melody, a sense of both passion and urgency, and a driving chorus make for a fantastic track.  Opener ‘Sitting Ducks’ is terrific as well. Melodic modern sounding rock that reminded me of Remedy, another band that is fairly new to the scene. Direct and to the point, the band wastes no time with elongated intros. It kicks right in and does not let up.  A great way to start off.

I had to look at the press release and scoured the internet several times to no avail, but I could have SWORN Joey Tempest was a guest vocalist on the ballads ‘My Fears’ and ‘Time to Leave’.  Singer Börje Lindström sounds quite different when he sings rockers vs. ballads, especially the title track. His phrasing of words is uncanny, and this strong performance makes the song a standout. Credit to him for being able to adjust his timbre so much so that it sounds like the band has two different singers.

Finally, there’s ‘First to Hold You’, a mid-tempo, romantic rocker that’s drenched with melodicism and utilizes keys in the background that makes the song fuller, evoking the feeling of longing and desire. I go back and forth between this song and ‘Lost and Found’ as to which is my favorite on the album.

Those five tracks are compelling. Unfortunately, the other five tracks were not as strong. After several playthoughs, I believe the problem lies in the chorus of these songs. ‘Why’ and ‘Stronger’ seem flat to my ears and not terribly exciting. ‘Man or Machine’ is notable for its brooding, heavy nature, but the chorus does not differentiate enough from the verses, so it all just bleeds together, making the groove monotonous.  

What we have here is a great half-album. The band has all the ingredients it needs and can certainly write some memorable ditties. The band should have spent more time on the others and worked up some chord changes to enhance the bridges and choruses. With this being their debut, and what sounds like a band with members that have not been playing very long with each other, I’m hoping for some stronger material in their next go around. For now, I recommend you check out the album and pick and choose from your favorites.

Track list:

1. Sitting Ducks
2. Lost and Found
3. My Fears
4. Do Talk to Me
5. Man or Machine
6. First to Hold You
7. Why
8. Stronger
9. Out of My System
10. Time to Leave

Line-up:

Börje Lindström – Vocals

Jonas Tornemalm – Guitar

Christian Johansson – Guitar

Anders “Slabben” Sandström – Bass

Ludwig Tornemalm – Drums

Web Links:

Official Website

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Spotify