Magnus Rosén is best known for his work with the Swedish power metal band, HAMMERFALL. He was their bassist from 1997-2007. In 2007, he left the band to focus on his hard rock solo career. This album, "It's Time To Rock The World Again," is somewhat of a tribute album to all of Rosén's many influences. Five of this album's twelve tracks are covers, and one more track was written by another artist and is shared on both this and her albums. It also features an array of guest musicians. Full disclosure, I've never been a fan of hard rock, so we shall see if "It's Time To Rock The World Again" makes a convert out of me.

The production style used here makes everything sound artificial. The vocals, especially the backing vocals, sound like they have been pitch-shifted or auto-tuned. The keyboards are overused and also double as instruments not used on the album. The saxophone sounds on "The World And Times" and "Terminator" sound very little like their original counterparts. This album never calls into question Rosén's skill with his bass. This is evident on the instrumental track, "Terminator." If the entire album was just him jamming on his bass, it would have been stellar. The bass guitar tone sounds great on "Circus," "Hearts On Fire," and "Dressed To Kill." Unfortunately, these tracks all have several issues dragging them down.

While I haven't heard the original versions of every cover on "It's Time To Rock The World Again," I have heard most of them. The first cover is "Something," originally performed by THE BEATLES. This slow, romantic  pop song isn't exactly out of place, given the other covers, but it would be on any other hard rock album. The next cover is of "Hearts On Fire" by HAMMERFALL. Seeing as how Rosén played bass on the original version, the cover feels superfluous. Also, Rosén's version lacks the urgency and aggression of the original.

Their cover of the ROLLING STONES tune, "Street Fighting Man" is audacious and several degrees cheesier than the original. That being said, it's the best cover on this album. The next cover to come is "The Winner Takes It All," originally released by ABBA. Again, this sappy pop tune would sound obtrusive on any traditional hard rock album. It feels at home on this one because there are just so many wildcard tracks. The final cover is of BILL WITHERS' "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone." The original is soulful and melancholy, where the cover is devoid of emotion and comes off as overly self-indulgent.

The original tracks aren't much better. On one hand, there's the droning, quasi-wistful "Paperplane," and on the other, the obtuse, confusing tracks like "Glitter And Blood" and "Dressed To Kill." This album has failed to turn me on to the lighter side of metal and hard rock. Magnus Rosén is an excellent bassist. That issue is not up for debate. As far as "It's Time To Rock The World Again" goes, there are way too many curveballs for it to sound like a cohesive work and the entire release comes off as little more than a vanity project.