Power metal voice Christian Eriksson is back with "Finding Pieces", the debut album of his new band FINAL STRIKE, which was released on November 11, 2023 via REAPER ENTERTAINMENT and offers everything that fans of the genre could wish for. Christian Eriksson is already known to many power metal fans from his previous bands AS CHRILEON, SWEDES TWILIGHT FORCE and NORTHTALE. When he left the latter, he was at a crossroads in his life. Should he keep making music or should he try something completely different? But after a period of deliberation and self-reflection, the decision was made and Christian is calling the challenge “the last attempt with a clear premise.” Forming a new band and writing an album that would emerge with the same lighthearted feeling that flowed through him as a teenager. Bringing in guitarist Martin Floberg to complete the puzzle whom he had seen years earlier and reminded him of the enthusiasm and emotion of a young Yngwie Malmsteen. With the guideline that the album should “sound exactly like what their seventeen-year-old selves would have liked to have bought with all of our experiences throughout life and united in a communal vision” explains Christian. The band describes their sound as “a very casual, lighthearted and carefree way, highly melodic, but not cheesy, focusing on what constitutes Heavy or Power Metal adding groovy riffing as the basis for an extremely melodic guitar playing, which is underpinned by driving drums and bass lines as well as keyboard arrangements that expand the overall sound powerfully.”

The album opens with the first three tracks “Archers”, “Finding Pieces” and “Fly” with melodic and syrupy tempos and very perky riffs that almost feel like I’m listening to a musical with way too much bubbly harmonizing that takes away from the pretty rocking guitar solos from Martin Floberg that show up midway but still can’t salvage these over calculated radio friendly songs. The songs are just too pleasant and pedestrian sounding with no real bite. The next three songs “Freedom”, “Oblivion” and “Restless Mind” all follow the same “casual, lighthearted and carefree way” blueprint with the exception being “Heaven's Falling Down”, which delivers a hardened, darker passage and meaty riff as the vocals get aggressive and a bit sinister, this is the path I was hoping the band went down. This topsy turvy album ends strong with two of their best songs “Spark from the Dark” and “Turn of the Tide” both are powerful guitar ridden tracks providing a little more diversity with an infectious chorus and over the speed limit riffs while the vocals pack a more solid punch delivering an edger, meaty textured attitude.

Overall this was a hard review for me, there are enough rocking elements to keep my interests peaked and Christian Eriksson has a wonderful voice and terrific range but if only they would have dug down deeper for a more consistent harder sound that they did deliver on a few songs, “Finding Pieces” would have been a excellent debut album for FINAL STRIKE. I will end with this comparison; it’s like going into a new car showroom with my leather jacket and Ray Ban sunglasses ready to purchase that really cool sportscar but ultimately driving out in a minivan.