HEART LINE is the new AOR/Melodic Rock project by French guitarist and producer Yvan Guillevic. Surrounded by a fantastic team, the group consists of vocalist Emmanuel Creis, keyboardist Jorris Guilbaud, drummer Walter Français, and bassist Dominique Braud. Powerful and melodic, the quintet takes us back to the beating heart of the 80’s, with heroic guitar solos and soaring vocal lines, supported by a stunning rhythm section and virtuoso keyboard licks.

AOR, of as this genre music is commonly referred to these days, began mostly overseas from America as the Grunge movement took many Melodic Rock and Glam bands by surprise in the early 1990s. Most historians would say that there were two reasons for the rise of Grunge and the Death of these bands in America: First, the sheer number of these bands were oversaturating the market, and as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad. Second, once the Grunge bug took hold, none of these bands could hang onto their record deals any longer. Notable bands did survive, but they sure took their hits.

 Overseas however, Melodic Rock and AOR began a resurgence. The trick to making your music memorable, and this is a trick in every genre of music, is coming up with enough hooks and catchy choruses that would outlive your peer group. We all know that these bands knew how to play and sing, because they came at a time when you had to prove your chops in order to get a record deal. Today, AOR bands are nearing the oversaturation point once more, and although many of them are fantastic musicians, it is getting harder and harder to come up with original and memorable material. Let’s get down to the album now,

 “Falling” is the lead-off song. It has a strong keyboard presence along with the guitars, and the raspy vocals of singer Emmanuel Creis are the perfect match for the music. As with a lot of music in this genre, where they really drive the sound home is in the chorus. “Runaway” also has a heavy keyboard presence, with vocals delivered as smooth as butter first. The sound that follows is just a bit thin however. “FrontLine” is a bit heavier, but still has a lot of melody. The rough and tumble riff combines with keyboards in support, but some more accents might help liven up their sound. “Living on a Knife Edge” is a mid-tempo rocker with a bit more tender qualities as well as more soul. They also work in some more punch into this song.

 “Go Easy” closes the EP. It’s another mid-tempo number with some tender qualities in the song and the chorus is where the band really shines. Overall, this is a solid band who shows promise on the EP. All of the right ingredients are there, it’s just the way that the band puts them together. Their music could use some more dynamic textures so that the songs have some “big” moments to them. The five songs were easy on the ears, and melodic, but just need that extra push to really drive them home.