Mikael Erlandsson needs no further introduction when it comes to melodic rock. Together with the fantastic guitar player Andy Malecek he founded the band LAST AUTUMNS DREAM in 2003 which also featured Ian Haugland, Mic Michaeli and John Leven. They went on releasing another 14 albums with different line-ups. Shortly after, Erlandsson founded the group AUTUMN’S CHILD.  AOR, or how this genre is more commonly known, began in the early 1990’s, as an extension of all of the great Melodic Rock bands of the 1980’s. During the early 1990’s in America, the country many music fans mistakenly use as the metric to measure music, Grunge arose, and many Melodic Rock bands died off from the simple fact that their music was no longer wanted by many record labels, and that the market was oversaturated with this sound.

But, the AOR tradition continued, mostly in Europe. While many American fans were licking the wounds from the demise of their favorite bands, the scene began to grow elsewhere. Fast forward to today. Like many genres of music, and other forms of art, including movies and television, the market is once again oversaturated. The tricky thing for modern AOR bands is, how can they continue to make music that is original, or as original and catchy as it could be? Many have tried and failed at this. There are of course a few exceptions…most notably in Sweden by bands like CREYE and CARE OF NIGHT. Pride & Joy Music handled the production on the album, and, as expected, it is crystal clear.

The best cuts on the album are the rousing “A Strike of Lightning,” which has a tender and balanced sound from keyboards and guitars, the JOURNEY inspired “Here Comes the Night,” which has sweet vocal harmonies and an upbeat and feel-good sound with a big chorus, the more mellow and introspective “Around the World in a Day,” which has a BEATLES vibe, and another catchy chorus, the charming and calming sound of “Juliet,” which is the power ballad on the album if you will and features a sax solo, the more heavy and melodic song “Never Surrender,” which has a positive message for the listener, and the warm and gentle tones of the closer, “I Belong to You.”

This was a solid album with a lot of strong melodies, and the band managed to capture some of the magic of the past in the songs. Let “Tellus Timeline” take you back to the glory days of AOR, and just lose yourself in the album.