Review: H.E.A.T – H.E.A.T II

by Rockposer Dot Com! on February 3, 2020February 3, 2020

Review: H.E.A.T – H.E.A.T II

earMUSIC (21/02/2020)

Reviewer: Peter Scallan

H.E.A.T are band that seem to have been around for ages yet still remain a young band and the next big thing to break. For whatever reason, they have just never made that leap into the big league. On their last album release they shook things up an bit and changed the formula they had stuck to previously, and took a little bit of criticism for that. Personally, I thought it was the best thing they had done and looked forward to them developing this direction further. However, judging by the press release it sounds like they have went to their roots, thus the name ‘H.E.A.T II‘.

‘Rock Your Body‘ opens the album with its pumping opening salvo and a great chop. And as you would expect it has a huge chorus. It pumps along nicely and definitively re-asserts the band’s sound. Next up is ‘Dangerous Ground‘ which lifts the pace and power somewhat and is classic H.E.A.T with some stellar vocals. ‘Come Clean‘ opens with a keyboard-driven riff, breaking down into picking guitar and once again there is a killer chorus. The arrangement cleverly changes a little each time round, keeping it fresh each time round. A more classic rock sound more akin to Rainbow/Deep Purple is next up with ‘Victory‘ and a chanting chorus. For me this is one of the weaker songs on the album. The feel changes with the opening bluesy guitar of ‘We Are Gods‘. This is powerful thundering track conveying the title perfectly, with Eric Gronwall giving it some serious big vocal licks. The pace is picked back up with ‘Adrenaline‘ and if there is such a thing sounds like typical Swedish melodic rock. With a staccato riff behind the chorus the song has another big chorus.

‘One By One‘ opens in a similar vein to its predecessor but drops into a completely differently melodic feel with keyboards and some choked guitar. The guitar solo is tastefully played over a more laid back break and provides a great contrast. Next up is the obligatory ballad, ‘Nothing To Say‘, and Gronwall shows he can vary his vocal styling. The song is predominantly acoustic guitar and ethereal keyboards but lifts for the chorus as do the vocals. In places, it almost has the feel of a movie soundtrack song.

‘Heaven Must Have Won An Angel‘ sounds like it should be a ballad from its title, but it’s a classic H.E.A.T mid-paced rocker which rattles along very nicely indeed. The opening of the next song sounds like the Scorpions to me before breaking down into a bluesy riff and then changing again into a rotating drum-pattern driven riff – great variation from the guys. Entitled ‘Under The Gun‘, it wasn’t the balls-out rocker the name suggested – great stuff. The last song on the album is ‘Rise‘ opening with some lilting keyboards before exploding into a huge guitar riff. This closes the album very much as it started with the classic H.E.A.T sound.

So what’s the verdict? Well, the guys wanted to go back to a classic sound after the experimenting of the last album and they have certainly achieved that. It oozes quality in terms of the songs and vocals and will certainly delight H.E.A.T fans. However, will it win them over a drove of new fans? I doubt it! A much as I love this album, I am kind of disappointed they didn’t go the whole way this time with the road they started down with the previous album. Regardless of my disappointment, let me be clear about it – this album seriously rocks. I dearly hope the quality of their recorded works and their kick-arse live shows get them into the big league. If any melodic rock band that have emerged in the last decade or deserve to, its these guys. Get them album, buy your tickets for the tour – you won’t be disappointed!

H.E.A.T Announce May 2020 UK Tour In Support Of New Album

by Rockposer Dot Com! on November 27, 2019November 27, 2019

Swedish rock band H.E.A.T will play three exclusive UK shows in May 2020. The band will tour with British rock band VEGA, award winning band Mason Hill and 4-piece Collateral. The four bands will play Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill (May 28), the London Garage (May 29) and Swansea Patti Pavilion (May 30).

H.E.A.T‘s brand new album ‘H.E.A.T II‘ will be available as CD Digipak, Vinyl and Digital on February 21, 2020 via earMUSIC. The album will be ready to pre-order from Friday, November 29,2019 on: https://heat.lnk.to/Heat-II

‘H.E.A.T II‘ is the first album to be produced entirely by the band – with Jona Tee and Dave Dalone as producers. “This is what we would sound like if we made a debut album 2019, hence the titl.”

The first single One By One (released September 27th) gave a first glance into what is to come for the new album and was followed by the second single Rise. The band explains: “Rise is about uniting and rebelling against the powers that be. Whatever that may be is subjective to the listener.”

‘H.E.A.T II‘ is the first album by Swedish hard rock sensation H.E.A.T to be produced entirely by the band – with Jona Tee and Dave Dalone as producers. This album goes back to the band’s beginnings, redefining the raw H.E.A.T sound – a sound that oozes classic rock coolness paired with the snotty confidence of one of rock and roll’s most talented bands today. “This is what we would sound like if we made a debut album 2019, hence the title.”

In a time when artists like Foreigner, Journey and Whitesnake are enjoying a resurgence, teenagers are re-discovering the melodic approach to hard rock. The kids are suddenly wearing their classic rock band logos on t-shirts. H.E.A.T is the beacon of light that many say will carry this tradition into the future. They’re young, ambitious and full of energy and ideas.

Line up:

Erik Grönwall – Vocals

Dave Dalone – Guitar

Jimmy Jay – Bass

Jona Tee – Keyboards

Don Crash – Drums

H.E.A.T May 2020 UK Tour

With VEGA, Mason Hill & Collateral
Tickets – www.planetrocktickets.co.uk & https://myticket.co.uk/artists/heat

Wolverhampton, KK’s Steel Mill	Thursday 28 May
London, The Garage	Friday 29 May
Swansea, Patti Pavilion	Saturday 30 May

BABYMETAL Releases New Album ‘Metal Galaxy’ Alongside New Single ‘Kagerou’

by Rockposer Dot Com! on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019

Japanese dance-metal sensation BABYMETAL has released their third LP ‘Metal Galaxy‘ via earMUSIC. To celebrate, the band will be playing a sold-out Los Angeles show this evening at The Forum where they are bringing their huge, Japanese arena production to North America for the first time. The show is one of the final shows in a month-and-a-half long US tour. The band will continue their world domination as they head back home for their sold-out arena tour in Japan in November and European headline dates to follow in 2020. Find full live dates here.

The album, set in the BABYMETAL universe, is about an odyssey the band must take to the ‘Metal Galaxy‘, a trajectory thrust upon them by the FOX GOD. Each song brings them closer to their desired destination starting with their previously released ‘Distortion‘, ‘Starlight‘, ‘Elevator Girl‘, ‘PA PA YA!!‘ featuring Thai rapper F.HERO, ‘Shanti Shanti Shanti‘ and now latest single ‘Kagerou‘. The album also features vocalist Joakim Brodén from Sabaton, Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy, guitarists Tim Henson and Scott LePage from Polyphia and Japanese guitarist Tak Matsumoto from B’z.

In the 3 years since the release of their last album, 2016’s METAL RESISTANCE, the band has established themselves as Japan’s most internationally successful music export, with hundreds of millions of audio streams, and almost a billion YouTube views. breaking the all time merch sales record at SSE Arena Wembley, and holding the honour of being the first Japanese band to headline the prestigious venue. They played their biggest headline shows to date, selling out two nights – 110,000 people – at the massive TOKYO DOME, supported Red Hot Chili Peppers on their UK/US arena tour along with additional support slots with Metallica in South Korea and Guns N’ Roses in Japan.

BABYMETAL’s first ever full UK headline tour kicks off in February 2020, catch them at the following shows:

Wed 19 Feb 2020 UK Glasgow                   Barrowland
Thu 20 Feb 2020   UK             Cardiff                       Great Hall
Sat 22 Feb 2020    UK             Manchester Apollo
Sun 23 Feb 2020   UK             London                     Hammersmith Apollo

Tickets available from https://myticket.co.uk/artists/babymetal

H.E.A.T. To Release New Studio Album In 2020

by Rockposer Dot Com! on October 1, 2019October 1, 2019

H.E.A.T announces release of a brand-new album, titled ‘II‘, early next year via earMUSIC. ‘II‘ is the first album ever to be produced entirely by the band with Jona Tee (keyboards) and Dave Dalone (guitar) as producers. “This is how we would sound if we made a debut album 2019, hence the title “II”” – H.E.A.T

The second single – the anthem ‘Rise‘ – is scheduled to be released later this fall.

“Rise is about uniting and rebel against the powers that be. Whatever that may be is subjective to the listener.” – H.E.A.T

Earlier this year the band recently released their live album ‘Live At Sweden Rock Festival‘.

Their second ever live recording – and for the first time on video – includes all of the band’s remarkable hymns such as ‘Living On The Run‘, ‘A Shot At Redemption‘ or ‘Bastard Of Society‘. Every song from this setlist is as lively and intoxicating as the next, making this a memorable show that every rock music fan will enjoy.

Line up:

Erik Grönwall – Vocals

Dave Dalone – Guitar

Jimmy Jay – Bass

Jona Tee – Keyboards

Don Crash – Drums

Over the last seven years H.E.A.T has established themselves as the young leading band in the melodic rock scene, both in their homeland Sweden and internationally. They have toured and performed in front of thousands and thousands of fans around the world.

It all started in early 2007 when H.E.A.T was born out of the ashes of two other bands. They began to write songs and started to play every show they could get their hands on. It resulted in a fan base in Sweden and whispers of a new rising star began to radiate abroad.

A few months later a record deal was signed and the first major gigs, as support to the likes of Toto and Mustasch were made.

In April 2008, their self-titled debut album was released and became a massive vitamin injection for the genre and instantly received accolades from both fans and critics worldwide. The release was followed up by immense touring and H.E.A.T played with bands such as Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy and on big festivals like Sweden Rock Festival.

By January 2009, an exciting year in the H.E.A.T history began. First in line was a five week European tour supporting German greats Edguy followed by the Swedish qualifiers for the Eurovision song contest with the song ‘1000 Miles’ which became a huge hit in Sweden. The first album was re-released bundled with the ‘1000 Miles’ single and touring began all over Sweden.

In late 2009, H.E.A.T entered the studio to begin the recordings of the follow-up ‘Freedom Rock‘. The album was released in May 2010. During the recordings, H.E.A.T began to grow a slight distance to singer Kenny Leckremo. After a tour in England in spring 2010, H.E.A.T and Kenny parted ways.

Determined to not let the band fade into history, the band began the search for a new singer. More than 200 applications came in.

During this time the band got in touch with “Swedish Idol” winner Erik Grönwall who was asked to do a stand-in gig in Sweden. He had to decline due to a busy solo career schedule, although the seed of him becoming singer of a successful rock band had been planted. A couple of weeks later, Jimmy met Erik at a release party and asked him straight forward if at all he was interested in joining. A meeting was set up and hours after the meeting Erik decided that his destiny was within H.E.A.T.

The band instantly began writing songs for what would become their third album, ‘Address the Nation‘, and together they chose which songs to record from a total of about 30 songs. Through their new label they got in touch with Grammy award winning producer Tobias Lindell and the legendary “Studio Bohus” in Gothenburg. They felt that this truly is the man to deliver the sound of H.E.A.T in the future.

‘Address the Nation‘ was released in March 2012 worldwide with the epic song ‘Living on the Run’ as the vanguard. A lot of touring and hard work began for the guys and 2012 turned out to be a great year in the H.E.A.T history. They played in every corner of Sweden, including shows at mighty Sweden Rock Festival and Skogsröjet. They played big TV shows and got nominated for a Rockbjörn-award, a big and prestigious award in Sweden. H.E.A.T also recorded their first two music videos, one for ‘Living on the Run’, and one for ‘It’s All About Tonight’.

The Address the Nation circus continued in 2013 and the guys loaded their guns and headed out to conquer Europe. With 10 headline shows in Germany, England and Spain, they proved to the European crowd that they were a top class live act.

In the summer of 2013 H.E.A.T played festivals in Germany with bands like Journey, Whitesnake and Europe and played at the legendary festival Firefest in England. This, together with H.E.A.T breaking new ground in the far east of China with a 10 date tour and the Rockalies-festival in France, marked the end of the Adress the Nation-era and the start of something new…

Despite these hectic two years, the guys still managed to keep the song writing going and in August of 2013, the guys once again entered Studio Bohus with producer Tobias Lindell to record their fourth album entitled: ‘Tearing Down the Walls‘.

With this album H.E.A.T has once again created a great hard rock album with the right blend of melodic and heavy songs. Singer Erik Grönwall about the title:
“Tearing down the walls is about breaking free from your mental walls that are holding you back. Go out there and try new things, don’t let yourself be your own worst enemy. Tear down the walls.”

‘Tearing down the Walls‘ was released April 11th 2014, and was soon followed by the EP ‘A Shot at Redemption‘. In March 2014, the band supported Scorpions on a European tour.

On Friday 22nd September 2017, H.E.A.T returned in full force with their 5th studio album ‘Into The Great Unknown‘. The band followed the release with a UK and European tour in December 2017.

Review H.E.A.T – Live At Sweden Rock Festival

by Rockposer Dot Com! on June 24, 2019June 24, 2019

Review: H.E.A.T – Live At Sweden Rock Festival

earMusic July 26th 2019

Reviewer: Dan Mann

If there’s one thing H.E.A.T fans know, this is a band you have to see live! Fronted by the Duracell bunny that is vocalist Eric Grönwall, H.E.A.T always put on a highly energetic and entertaining show, this time captured at the legendary Sweden Rock Festival. It’s unfortunate that the promo supplied is only the audio portion of the album as it’s being released on DVD/Blu-ray, the Blu-ray also containing eight of the band’s Official videos, so I cannot comment on the sound and picture of said discs.

Kicking off with ‘Bastard Of Society‘ from the band’s last studio album ‘Into The Great Unknown‘ your straight away dragged kicking and screaming up to the barrier, the pace not dropping as your taken straight into ‘Late Night Lady‘ off the debut album, this live rendition more pumped and in your face.

You’d think they’d take a slight breather, but the relentless energy continues unabated as ‘Mannequin Show‘ is given the live treatment. I’d like to tell you what Eric’s banter is between songs but my Swedish is basically non-existant and anyway why should a Swedish band at a Swedish festival speak English?

It’s pleasing that H.E.A.T don’t concentrate solely on their latest studio album with a couple of older tracks thrown in, instead they delve into their entire catalogue of songs, energising them to the absolute max. Plus the same is metered out to their cover of Janis Joplin‘s ‘Piece of My Heart‘ slotted on the end of ‘Beg Beg Beg‘.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable live release, my only disapointment apart from not sampling the Blu-ray is the non inclusion of probably my favorite H.E.A.T track ‘Downtown‘, however that is on the ‘Live In London‘ release.

I’ve got a bit of a wait until I see H.E.A.T again, but one thing I do know is they’ll grab next year’s Monsters Of Rock Cruise by the short and curlies and will take no prisoners!

Heart Release Official Video From ‘Live In Atlantic City’

by Rockposer Dot Com! on December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Heart have released an Official video for ‘Bébé Le Strange‘ (with Dave Navarro), taken from their new album ‘Live In Atlantic City‘.

‘Live In Atlantic City‘ is going to be released as CD+Blu-ray Digipak, 2LP Gatefold + download, DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on January 25th, 2019 on earMUSIC.

‘Bébé Le Strange‘ is available to stream / download Here

“Live In Atlantic City” was a night no one would ever forget. It brought together various stars around the two brightest shining stars of Heart. It pays tribute to and celebrates the band’s legacy with the help of an incredible range of artists and friends such as country music star Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction founding member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, country singer-songwriter Gretchen Wilson and Canadian-American singer-songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright. An exceptional highlight of the show furthermore entails the return of renowned grunge rockers Alice In Chains with Duff McKagan joining his friends on stage!”

Official Website

Facebook

Loudness Announce Details Of New Album ‘Rise To Glory’

by Rockposer Dot Com! on November 7, 2017November 7, 2017

Japanese rockers Loudness have announced details of their brand new album entitled ‘Rise To Glory‘, which is set for a worldwide release on January 26th, 2018.

It’s been three years since the release of the band’s last album ‘The Sun Will Rise Again‘, which gained much critical acclaim. The new album will be released via Ward Records in Japan, and via earMUSIC in Europe and North America.

Loudness made a long overdue return to the UK in August, playing at Hair Metal Heaven in Hull.

Official Website

Facebook

H.E.A.T. Release Music Video For ‘Eye Of The Storm’

by Rockposer Dot Com! on September 20, 2017September 20, 2017

Swedish rock band H.E.A.T have released a music video for their new single ‘Eye Of The Storm‘ to dovetail the release of their long awaited new album ‘Into The Great Unknown‘ on Friday 22^nd September 2017 via earMUSIC.

H.E.A.T start the European leg of their tour in Copenhagen on Monday 30^th October and the band will play their first show in the UK in Wolverhampton on Friday 17^th November.

Track-listing:

Bastard Of Society
Redefined
Shit City
Time On Our Side
Best Of The Broken
Eye Of The Storm
Blind Leads The Blind
We Rule
Do You Want It?
Into The Great Unknown

H.E.A.T. Announce UK & European Tour Dates

by Rockposer Dot Com! on September 6, 2017September 6, 2017

To dovetail the release of their fifth studio album, H.E.A.T will tour the UK and Europe throughout November. The celebrated Swedish rock band will release their long awaited new album ‘Into The Great Unknown‘ on Friday 22^nd September 2017 via earMUSIC.

The European leg of the tour will start in Copenhagen on Monday 30^th October and the band will play their first show in the UK in Wolverhampton on Friday 17^th November.

After one and a half years of intense song-writing, with guitarist Dave Dalone (aka Sky Davis) back in the mix, the band went on a questionable trip to record an album in Thailand, once again with Swedish Grammy award-winning producer Tobias Lindell. With 10 top songs in their cannon, H.E.A.T entered the heavenly Karma Sound studios in the outskirts of Bangkok to record what would become the fifth studio album. Once again the band continue the musical landscape with an innovative, highly explosive and refreshing melodic rock sound and an unforgettable collection of fantastic new songs.

‘Into The Great Unknown‘ is the follow-up to 2014’s critically acclaimed ‘Tearing Down The Walls‘. 2012’s successful ‘Address The Nation‘ album was praised worldwide as one of the best albums of the year, and consolidated the H.E.A.T’s growing reputation as the new leading band in hard edged melodic rock. ‘Into The Great Unknown‘ is a rock and roll journey into the great unknown. The album delivers everything H.E.A.T is loved for – frontman Erik Grönwall’s incredible vocal talent and the band’s traditional approach to melodic rock.

In 2009, H.E.A.T had a huge hit in Scandinavia with the song ‘1000 Miles‘. That same year the band’s second album ‘Freedom Rock‘ was nominated as one of the Top 50 albums in 2010 by Classic Rock magazine UK. Since then, they’ve toured all over the world, blowing audiences away with their outstanding live concerts.

H.E.A.T – November 2017 UK And European Tour

Copenhagen DK, Pumpehuset Monday 30 October

Hamburg DE, Logo Tuesday 31 October

Berlin DE, Frannz Club Wednesday 1 November

Munich DE, Backstage Halle Thursday 2 November

Innsbruck AT, Harley Bar Friday 3 November

Milan IT, Legend Club Sunday 5 November

Bilbao ES, Santana 27 Tuesday 7 November

Madrid ES, La Riviera Wednesday 8 November

Barcelona ES, Razzmatazz 2 Thursday 9 November

Paris FR, La Nouveau Casino Saturday 11 November

Pratteln CH, Z7 Sunday 12 November