Québec based RAINLIGHT surprised us some time ago with their stupendous debut album ‘Lost In Time’ – the title referring to classic Melodic Rock of old, read ‘the ’80s’ – as their sound is firmly planted in that glorious decade for the genre.
We had to wait five years for a new RAINLIGHT album, and the time arrived in the form of “Insomnia“, a 10-tracker where the ’80s sound has been perfected: classic Canadian Melodic Rock we all love.
RAINLIGHT manages everything of their art, from songwriting to production, and release the album by themselves as well. All members are seasoned musicians and know their craft, and despite being self produced, “Insomnia” sound quality is great, very well mixed & mastered too.
There’s varied songwriting, ‘Moonlight’ is a pumping melodic rocker with elegant guitars, there’s an AORish feel to ‘Fight’, then ‘Shine’ adds some muscle guitar, while midtempo ‘Come Fly with Me’ is darker and plenty of atmosphere. Despite its title ‘Without You’ isn’t a ballad but a midpaced melodic rocker with a chorus that bring to mind DARE.
The chorus on the dynamic ‘In a Stranger’s Mind’ takes some time to appear, but when it does, adds a loth depth to the song. Title track ‘Insomnia’ adds a touch of progressive to the main melody, while ‘Let the Rain’ works as some kind of ballad, the type TEN used to create in their early era.
Closer ‘Alive’ reflects its title with driving guitars, a pretty punchy rhythm section and swirling guitar work.
RAINLIGHT is a very interesting band in the current Melodic Rock scene as they bring back the ’80s sounds from the genre, but while other groups doing this revival opt for catchy, instant melodies easy to the ears, “Insomnia” delivers a more elaborated sound, looking for atmospheres.
Part of this come from the guitar work which alternate from distorted to clean, and the rhythm section provide the drive for the neat vocals to articulate.
Highly Recommended
1.Moonlight 03:49
2.Fight 04:28
3.Shine 03:28
4.Come fly with me 04:29
5.Without you 03:45
6.In a stranger's mind 04:22
7.Insomnia 03:42
8.River of silence 02:29
9.Let the rain 05:02
10.Alive 04:20
Rainlight – Insomnia 2023
 |
