I would never imagine I'd listen to David Reece's voice again. The man included in the most controversial ACCEPT album, 1989's Eat The Heat, the vocalist 'charged' with the 'crime' of singing to the most weak album in the German Metal legendary band's career...David Reece steps in for the vocals in the sophomore album by Swedish hardrockers GYPSY ROSE. Never say never...
To the band or to the singer? To the band, first. The fact that this is GYPSY ROSE's second album does not necessarily mean that we 're dealing here with a short-lived act. In opposite, GYPSY ROSE's birth took place in 1981, as a motive to re-innovate the sound and melodies of British bands like THIN LIZZY and RAINBOW. Still, any collaboration for a contract/album in the 80s did not manage it. Hence, years went by and it wasn't until 2004 that - apart from newcomer Imre Daun (DON PATROL) - the original lineup was gathered again to record Gypsy Rose, a fine album of Scandinavian melodic Hard Rock with enough influences by the 'German side' of Rock also (featuring guest vocals by DOGFACE, Y. Malmsteen, TREAT, SWEDISH EROTICA and AT VANCE singer Mats Leven).
To the singer now: David Reece (ACCEPT, BANGALORE CHOIR) handles the vocals in the new album, replacing original singer Hakan Gustafsson. His throat is a weird blend: he is equally harsh/dirty and melodic/sweet, in relevance to the singing needed in any song's part. Had not heard him singing for many many years - plus I like the Eat The Heat album a lot - and was really impressed by the way he handles vocals in the new GYPSY ROSE album. His throat is more mature, he has not lost range, he definitely has preserved this specific color in his voice, while - apart from some minor objections - he does seem really to be a great choice for fronting GYPSY ROSE's new songs.
To the songs, then. First thing someone may notice is that the album is powerful. Be it straightforward rockers, 'neoclassical' cuts or more AOR-ish tunes, the production and the rhythm guitars/bass/drums lines are strong and solid. On the other hand, the keys 'support' the music in a rather applicable way, without being in front (in general), and will certainly reveal the band's origin. The leads of Martin Kronlund - the mastermind of the band - are impressive, flirting with resources from legends of the past, plus his riffs are a fine mix of melodic Rock style with metallic atmosphere. Efficiently enough, he does not fall in the trap of letting the keyboards in the foreground, avoiding the album sounding as another melodic Rock album.
In terms of variety in the songwriting, I imagine there's not something groundbreaking it should be mentioned. The 'spine' springs out of the late 70s/early 80s spirit (RAINBOW, SCORPIONS) but the resulting outlook would bring to mind bands like TREAT, FAIR WARNING, AT VANCE and M.ILL.ION or Jorn Lande's/Y.Malmsteen's works, with a touch of more AOR sounds. Still, with Reece's voice included, the result is rather intriguing, due to an interesting contradiction and overall 'bravado' in the band's performance. Not to forget, Hellhammer boasts a re-worked version of the track originally included in ACCEPT's Eat The Heat album.
Another World has the advantage of not being a single-dimensional album in the (general) Hard Rock field. For this and only I think it can eventually win your interest. Add one point to the total if you're 'into' David Reece's singing.