In a world of dwindling energy supplies, every drop of kinetic power counts in the race towards to the future.

In music, much like within any other aspect of our lives, energy is a necessary driving force - the element that pushes the note beyond the bend. Be it the charred, coal tips of blackened Metal, the ferocious, the petrol-thirsty engines of horse powered classics or the efficiency of modern hybrid breeds, Metal and Rock have to be charged with pure energy in order to be what they are and get us through the day. Of course, not all bands are capable of a combustible performance, and yet ECLIPSE are not one of them, and on their fourth and latest effort "Monumentum" the Swedish quartet show that they are still firing on all cylinders.

This record truly is a creature of momentum. The opener "Vertigo" sets the listener's head spinning on the path to Heavy Rock insanity whilst chanting the catchy hook: "Saints and Sinners gather 'round, now that King has lost his crown, and the world is spinning round and round and round like vertigo" - one can already hear the stadium crowds singing this one louder than the the band.

The dizzying starter opens up the pipes for a flood of highly flammable AOR sounds with tracks like the riff-laden "Never Look Back" (another guaranteed crowd pleaser and my personal favourite from the record), the uplifting "Jaded", the heavy bonafide 80s Rocker "Born to Lead" and the tasty, finger-licking "No Way Back". The tracks soar with massive choruses, huge chords, laboratory clean guitar lines and an overall electricity that is sure to recharge your passion for 80s Rock.

Yet for all its impeccable faithfulness to its roots the record also suffers from symptoms of monotony. The tracks, although powerful and driven, are somewhat interchangeable and often fail to posses enough intrigue to be thoroughly memorable. The album does attempt to include some alternate strokes into the mix with slow numbers like "Hurt" and the progressive "The Downfall of Eden", but it's need for speed maintains that it adhere to the fast lane with aforementioned arena staples. The production however, is phenomenal. The tracks sounds big and clean, all whilst bearing the reverbed touches of the old-school with the tightness of a modern recording. The performances of the band members are also of the highest order. The aforementioned guitars rule the songs whilst the vocals of Erik Mårtensson stamp the tracks with a mark of quality assurance.

Overall - "Monumentum" is indeed unstoppable, but often to a fault. Nevertheless, ECLIPSE bring yet another supercharged performance for the fans of Heavy AOR. It may not be the most varied of offerings, but it is genuine in its 80s driven resolve, and whatever maybe be said, this is not nostalgia, this is the real thing, and the Swedish rockers undoubtedly do what they do best with what they've got.