MelodicRock.com Reviews


GRAND ILLUSION
THE BOOK OF HOW TO MAKE IT
Escape Music ESM 063
Produced by: Anders Rydholm
Released: OUT / Website
Closest Relative: Styx
GENRE: AOR
OVERALL: 90%

  1. Feeling Strangely Fine
  2. I Don't Wanna Know
  3. Boys Last Night Out
  4. Accidentally On Purpose
  5. The Book Of How To Make It
  6. Whatever
  7. 105 (And Running)
  8. Parachute
  9. Don't Wait Up
  10. Crazy From The Heat
  11. Death Of Me

Pomp AOR fans hold on to your hats, as this is one of the best pure pomp-ish melodic rock releases I have heard ever.
It takes a couple of spins to get into Grand Illusion's groove, but once you are in, the hooks within these songs never let go.
Kudos to the guys for self-producing this masterpiece of bombastic guitar driven AOR with smaller keyboard influences than most pomp acts. The keyboards add flavor to the songs rather than driven them.
In signing and releasing this album Escape Music have also found one of their best releases to date.
The guys are from that ultimate AOR haven of Sweden (again!!) and are quite simply Europe's answer to Styx.
Just like their forefathers Styx, Grand Illusion have 2 lead vocalists in Peter Sundell and Per Svensson. But rather than compete with each other they compliment one another. Their vocal style is similar with only a slight delivery and pitch difference between them. The primary reason they both sound so good comes down the sheer brilliant quality of the songs themselves.
Style wise, the guys are heavier than Styx ever was, apart from a few early classics. There really are some classic hard tracks on the album, with the title track especially rocking.
If you lied other pomp rockers like Lost Weekend, Storyteller and Departure, this release tops them all. They also go close to topping the mighty Styx, holders of the throne of pomp rock.
Just one listen to I Don't Wanna Know will convince you.
BOTTOM LINE: The guys have matured out of their sound they first offered with two albums under the band name Promotion. This is by far their best songwriting ever and is infectious. Once again, Scandinavia has produced some of the best melodic music on the market today.
PRODUCTION: 92% SONGS: 94% VIBE: 83%ATTITUDE: 90%
ESSENTIAL FOR: All fans of pomp rock, Scandinavian melodic rock and many Styx fans.
DISCOGRAPHY:Promotion - Not For Sale . Yeah, Yeah . Grand Illusion - The Book Of How To Make It



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