With this name, I guess I should not expect something different from a melodic Hard Rock band. HARDREAMS has already released another album (recorded in 2002, released in 2004), named Calling Everywhre, while this year's The Road Goes On... sees a sophomore CD that will easily attract the interest of 'mellow' Rock/AOR aficionados. And...an extra hint: they come from Spain but the vocals do not sound 'Spanish' at all.
The first three songs - Apologies, Bad Times Are Gone and Rebel Heart - do bear the same groove; the AOR fast-pace 'classic' tempo, that unveils some notable guitar/keys hooks and great vocal melodies. My Last Desire calms things down, with 'moody' major tones, singing 'warmth' and tempo mildness. Little Sinner Queen belongs to the fast-pace category, again, and - then - We Are One sees a ballad full of emotion, accompanied by a piano, with Manu Esteve sounding like a mix of GOTTHARD's Steve Lee and SURVIVOR's Dave Bickler.
Too Late fastens things up, in a semi-WHITESNAKE/DEEP PURPLE way, while Someday Somewhere runs mid-pace again, in powerful AOR fields. I'll Say Bye Tonight is an up-tempo melodic rocker with elegant guitars/keys co-existing and Two Shots (again) applies to the 'joyful' AOR category, in a hasty pace similar to e.g. some of FINAL FRONTIER portfolio. The Road Goes On wraps up the album; it opens up in a TYKETTO way, with acoustic guitars and mid-tone vocals, then to unfold to a mid-tempo 'sweet' melodic Rock chill-out song.
For a band with only two (now) albums of career, I was impressed by the chemistry of the band members plus the comfort in neither 'rushing' their songlist nor 'pressing' for a naive hit. There's quality in their songwriting structure; I can 'extract' maturity from the integrity of the songs, the singing of Esteve is more than fine, and - last but not least - you will not get tired of listening to the whole album repeatedly track after track.
If the production was more 'live' or 'fat' we'd be talking for a superb Melodic Rock album; the cover also seems a little 'faint' in colors. Still, these two obstacles would not prevent you - the fan of bands like HARLAN CAGE, TYKETTO, STRANGEWAYS, (Hugo's) VALENTINE, PRIDE OF LIONS, 'mild' WHITESNAKE and 'moody' SYRVIVOR - to stay away from The Road Goes On..., since it will surely apply to your taste.