SECOND REIGN is a Swiss band that have only just released their debut album "Gravity", which is filled with quality Melodic Rock. I must admit that I really haven't followed the melodic scene that much lately, but due to some of the albums I'm reviewing (including this one) I can only conclude that I need to be more observant. What is obvious throughout the whole album that these guys know what they're doing. And that's quite remarkable, as they only spent time together in the studio on the last day of recording. For the rest "Gravity" was recorded separate from each other.

What is also very important with melodic rock is that the production is flawless. Well, it is here. That becomes imminently obvious when opener "Uninvited" starts blowing through your speakers. SECOND REIGN is not a softly spoken band, no they're quite brass without being in your face, and that latter remark is what's missing to make this stand out even more than it already does.

It's quite clear that the keyboards aren't used just for fills. Whether it's during the intro of the pure rocker "The Truth", or as they use it in the background during the up-tempo song "Let Me Breathe", the keyboards are an integral part of the sound on "Gravity". At times they even sound a bit like the dance DJ's do, especially at the beginning of "The Big Lie".

Any melodic band should be able to write a good ballad, and even that is above par here. "Borderline" and "Home" are perfect examples of how it's supposed to be done. All together I have to say that there are no fillers on "Gravity". SECOND REIGN has succeeded in producing an album on which every song is good, sometimes even exceptional.