Review: Emotional Fire – Rising
RN Records ( January 23rd, 2026)
Reviewer – Jason Hopper
This is an album I have wanted to review for quite some time. Back in 2023, a song randomly popped up in my YouTube playlist called ‘Will You Be There’, from the band Emotional Fire. I sought out the band and streamed their EP… then immediately bought the EP. All four tracks were phenomenal, especially the cover of the song that the band is named after. With no disrespect to Cher or Joe Lynn Turner, this band has THE definitive version of ‘Emotional Fire’. Lead singer Therés Enström’s voice was made for this song. Easy to see that the performance of the track defined them so much, they named the band after it. A superb version that needs to be sought out by all melodic rock fans.
I was excited for what would come next… then nothing… for all of 2024 and the beginning of 2025. Around Spring of last year, the band started releasing new songs and eventually a full album announcement was made in early Fall. With their first full length upon us, I’m happy to say that ‘Rising’ is going to wind up on many people’s list of best albums of 2026.
There’s a bunch of songs I want to talk about here, so let’s get right to it. You can go and listen now to the best track on the album, the single ‘Be With You’. I absolutely dig the call and response bridge leading up to the electrified chorus, and the blissful harmonies found there make the hairs on my arm stand up. Perfection.
The band was smart to include several rerecorded tracks from their EP, my favorite being ‘Will You Be There’. It has a deeper bass sound and a punchier production. While the original was terrific, producer and drummer Linnea Waljestål pulls out all the stops her to make it sound fantastic.
Robin McAuley is featured on the powerful ‘Neon Glow’, but if I was not alerted to his presence, I would have never known he was on this track. With the exception of a few lines he sings solo, his voice does not stand out. That does not mean he isn’t present. He ends up harmonizing so well with Therés on most lines it makes it appear the production simply doubled her voice. Those looking for a standout performance won’t find it here, but it’s still a great song and they complement each other well.
I was not familiar with Bonnie Pointer’s 80’s dance track ‘The Beast In Me’. I don’t recall this being a big hit in America, so perhaps it charted in other parts of the world. I did a compare/contrast and this new version is a synth drenched rock/dance hybrid. It’s quite a departure from everything else on the album, but I appreciated the tonal change up in the middle of the album.
There is a sensational power ballad in ‘Fire In Your Eyes’. Power ballads are won and lost on effective emoting. It’s the lead singer’s chance to shine, and Therés nails it! The passion and longing pours from her lips in a way that makes you believe she means every word.
‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ borrows heavily from Journey’s ‘Be Good To Yourself’, a bit too much personally, but it’s high energy feel won me over regardless. I am a sucker for songs like this.
Some small critiques to the album. ‘Like A Phoenix’ is a decent track, with the keyboards being a bit too loud, but it should not be the album opener. It’s the one single they released thus far that did not thrill me and should have been placed somewhere else on the album. Similarly, ‘Be With You’ should not have been so far down in the order.
A few other things I would like to bring attention to. The band is the brainchild of Ron Dahlgren and Nina Dahlgren, who are responsible for the excellent Gathering of Kings releases. I noticed in looking over the credits, my five favorite songs on the album were all written by the team of Ulrick Lönnqvist, Pete Alpenborg, and Rick Altzi. I’m familiar with Altzi’s work in Gathering of Kings as well as his excellent solo album (review here). The material they create is some of the catchiest around.
I can’t stop playing this one. I play through to the end and then immediately start over. So glad to finally get a full-length album from these guys. Everyone needs to check this out and support it in whatever way you see fit. I’m already looking forward to what comes next from them. An out of this world release!
Tracklisting:
- Like A Phoenix
- Turn Around (And Walk Away)
- Neon Glow (Feat. Robin McAuley)
- Fire In Your Eyes
- I Want You Here With Me
- The Beast In Me
- Don’t Lose Yourself
- What’s This Life
- Be With You
- Somebody
- Will You Be There
Line-up:
Therés Enström – Lead Vocals
Linnea Waljestål – Drums & Backing Vocals
Daniel Myhr – Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Pär Eriksson – Guitars & Backing Vocals
Oliver Lee – Bass & Backing Vocals