What's up Metal maniacs? I'm here once again to give you an insight; this time, on the Swedish Hard Rock solo act simply known as PEO, and his 9^th studio album: "Welcome To The Party".

Who is Peo Patterson you might wonder? I have no idea. However, what I do know is that his band simply known as PEO has created 9 studio albums under his name - the latest being: "Welcome To The Party". Now then, if you're like me, you're probably thinking, "that's a fairly generic album title." You'd be right; I wasn't overly excited by this title - as well as the songs titles - for to me...it sounds too simple. Don't get me wrong, for what I've listened to so far has been exquisitely enjoyable. Yet the problem I have is that this album feels fairly unoriginal and left me with a "been there, done that" impression. I do in fact appreciate such accomplishments, but when something feels too simple, one can feel a little underwhelmed by its instrumental implementations. Heck, if you know the soundtrack of the program: Saved By The Bell, this record will sound all too similar to you. (I know, that's not Metal, but honestly, nether is PEO.)

This band in question features none other than Peo Patterson performing the majority of the instruments - bass, keyboards and vocals - and executing everything in stunning fashion. In addition to that, Roger Ljunggren jams on guitars and Tony Morra on drums; and both perform exceedingly well. With that being said; you've got to hand it to Peo for only hiring two people, and doing the rest of the work for himself. If you're here for an extremely versatile Metal experience; "Welcome To The Party" probably isn't for you. For sure it's for everyone, but if I know Metal extremists such as myself, you'll be left with a bland expression; I'm pretty sure of that. A few songs left me thinking of JUDAS PRIEST's song "Parental Guidance" (off the "Turbo" record), which actually made me reminisce of how cheesy and epic that album and song are. While I can't unfortunately say the same for PEO and "Welcome To The Party", there are still some good traits here and there.

"Welcome To The Party", "The Promise" and "You've Got It Coming" begin the album with that impression I've noted. The songwriting doesn't pose much excellence and if I'm honest, nor does its originality. Throughout the record I sensed a lot of emotion from the lyricist - which is evident in profound songs like "Coming Out", "Break Another Heart" and "Sweet Dreams". Whilst essentially everything sounds fine and dandy, vocally, and (for the most part) instrumentally, I can't help but feel like I've heard music like this before... and that it was made for the radio; not that this is a bad thing, but you know what radio music is like! If I was brutally honest with you, there is not much to note here in terms of memorability; only the fact that everything sounds kind of depressing...except for some main riffs that actually sound quite killer in terms of versatility.

Songs like "Eilene", "It's All Coming Back To Me" and "Love A Woman", while catchy, all share similar emotion to previous songs; which can feel a little off-putting. Perhaps I'm being too harsh, but I have to be honest. And then the album ends on a more heavier note with the equally catchy tracks: "The Apple of Temptation" and "Dangerous", which definitely provide a heavier, upbeat tone, and end the album in decent fashion.

While I honestly can't praise this album as much as I should, I can at least appreciate its intentions. The only consistently driven eruption I could find were the sound production, riffs and decently pitched vocals. Other than that..."Welcome To The Party" is certainly nothing special and definitely needs more work in terms of originality. I felt that it was an obvious record; not entirely worth wasting your time on.