The debut album by a Swedish Hard rock band that sounds OK:. this is not a rare case, it never was, we've talked about Sweden's supremacy before. COLDSPELL hail from the very northern part of the country and Infinite stargaze marks their first full-length tryout in the melodic Hard rock world. Still, this time things are neither AOR-orientated nor Metal-extended. This band/album presents an interesting amalgam of...
...70s stuff as patronized by bands like LED ZEPPELIN/U.F.O./RAINBOW, 80s sounds nailed to our souls by WHITESNAKE (or BONHAM?) and 90s/00s excerpts widely seen in fresh works of - let's say - EUROPE. In specific, the guitar riffs outburst this classic Hard Rock feel and of course the Hammond organ donates crucial help over here. The vocal lines are parallel to David Coverdale's patterns - not some copycat issue though - and the bass/drums production carries this fresh hardrockin' vibe applauded by many and condemned by the rest. COLDPSELL ties all this stuff in pure mastery and you won't even notice how minutes pass by to the audition of the album's songs.
Is it easy to describe songs like Solid Ground, Eye Of The Storm and Night Falls (not to even mention the same-titled tune)? Nah...You can always check samples in the band's MySpace page (ColdSpell on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads) and you're welcome to place your own bets in the quintet's mix. Sure thing the songwriting should have been a result of hard work, not to forget the final sound equally giving justice to all participants. 'Bluesy' is also a good word on how COLDSPELL sounds throughout the album; no sleaze moments, no candy FM Rock stuff I'd dare say. BLUE MURDER is another band just crossing my mind....thus, the WHITESNAKE link is moreover extended. The album - to return to key-words description - can be classified as 'mature' or 'classy', holding a quality not widely expressed by - anyway, not to be misunderstood - equally good albums the last years in the melodic Hard rock field.
This is a tough task. Infinite Stargaze - dressed in a wonderful colorful cover artwork - is indeed an album worth checking. I'd avoid labeling it as a 'must' CD for the genre since it's a matter of personal taste to swallow the three (or four?) decades mixed up in here. Still, it definitely is an add-to-cart release in case WHITESNAKE-centered sounds (e.g. who's already a devotee of ECLIPSE's debut CD?) are your cup of tea. You won't regret it, I think.