From their record label’s website, “LIONVILLE, acclaimed melodic rock band hailing from Italy, are thrilled to announce the release of their highly anticipated new studio album, “Supernatural,” out on November 15th, 2024, via Frontiers Music Srl. The album marks an exciting new chapter in the band’s journey, featuring their new lead vocalist, Swedish singer, producer and songwriter Alexander Strandell. Commenting on the announcement, Stefano Lionetti said: “Sometimes change is necessary and represents an opportunity for growth and openness to new possibilities. We wish our friend Lars the best that life and music can give, and we thank him for having contributed to making the band what it has become in these years. It has been an honor to work with you! The present is called Alexander Strandell, an incredibly talented performer, let's all welcome him together!”

AOR, or “album-oriented rock,” or even “adult oriented rock,” is a genre that first sprang up in the 1970’s. Some argue that BOSTON or even JOURNEY was the first American AOR band. It flourished in the 1980’s, and towards the end of the decade and into the early parts of the 1990s, these bands were a dime a dozen. The advent of Grunge killed over 90% of them, but some survived. It then went overseas, where many bands are still commercially successful today. As a teenager who lived during the 80’s, I ate up as many of these bands as I could. Today, as a music reviewer, modern AOR leaves me with one big challenge. How can bands bring back the magic from those days into today? Let’s get to some of the band’s best songs on the album and find out.

“Heading for a Hurricane” has a mid-tempo rocking pace with hooks and a nice combination of guitar and keyboards, the title track has gentler sounds and the catchiness of the chorus takes me back to the 80’s, “Breakaway” is a real rocker with strong melodies and another catchy chorus, “The Right Time” is like a time machine back to the glory days of the 80’s, and this one really connects with me, “Unbreakable” has a strong resolve and the harmonies in the chorus are great, “The Storm” has another big punch in the chorus, “The One” has a ton of energy and a nostalgic hook, and “Celebrate Our Life” has a catchy combination of fat keyboard notes and guitars. There is really a lot to like from the album.

Overall, this was clearly a hit. “Alexander” has an excellent voice, and this album is a collection of songs that will ignite nostalgia in the listener. They also manage to create a lot of hooks that don’t sound like ones that have been done before. Let it sweep you back to a simpler and more melodic past.