From Frontier’s Music’s website, “HAREM SCAREM are finally back with their anticipated return album “Chasing Euphoria,” their first new album in five years. Their new record is an absolute belter for all Melodic Hard Rock fans and shows clearly why, when a discussion arises on who are the current heavyweights of the melodic hard rock scene, the list of names being bantered about cannot avoid a mention of HAREM SCAREM . “Chasing Euphoria” brings back the band’s classic sound and shows a band at the top of their game. A cohesive unit still able to deliver a power-rock-packed punch, swaggering riffs, and hooks to die for. Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance, without a doubt, show the world that their partnership still works.

Modern Rock, or even Melodic Rock as it’s called often, is a genre that will probably be around forever. When did it begin? No one knows for sure, but early giants in America such as JOURNEY and BOSTON ushered in the golden age. For a while, it was all that you could hear on the radio. It flourished, multiplied, and even grew a bit ridiculous with the Glam bands of the mid to late 80’s Something had to give by the turn of the 90’s, and that monster was called Grunge. It killed 90% of the scene in America, but a strange thing happened that many Americans weren’t aware of…the scene took flight and hopped overseas to Europe, Sweden in particular, where it continues to be strong today.

Let’s get to some of the highlights on the album, beginning with the title track. It has powerful, emotional, and lamenting tones, that they dial the up in the chorus, “Slow Burn” has an energetic riff and a bit of a more positive tone, and again, the band delvers a catchy song full of big hooks in the chorus. “World on Fire” might be the obligatory “power ballad” on the album, and you fellow children of the 80’s know that I am talking about…a sweet, slow song that gets stuck in your head, followed by “Bed Way,” which despite the heavier riff still has fairly deep lamenting tones, “A Falling Knife” has a faster moving sound with a lot of energy, ”Understand it All” has a deep, bluesy sound, and another chorus that will knock you flat, and “Wasted Years” bring the album to a close with another catchy sound.

Hooks for days…that is what the album does best. The band also has a strong sense of musicianship and use of harmony in the backing tracks. As I recently had a discussion with my daughter about, these things sound sugary on the ears, but they are hard to compose properly. The band once again is firing on all cylinders here on “Chasing Euphoria.”