Swedish melodic rockers WILDNESS released past month ‘Resurrection’ one of the best albums of the year, and now a reissuing their debut record, ”Wildness” in a Deluxe Edition Digipack featuring 5 bonus tracks, incluiding the original bonus for Japan and a new 2022 version of the killer AOR song ‘Collide’ sung by current singer Erik Forsberg, a track which has been re-mixed as well and now sounds even better.
Formed by drummer and songwriter Erik Modin in 2013, WILDNESS independently released their self-produced debut single ‘Collide’ which immediately gained a lot of spins at various digital platforms such as a number of online radio stations focused on AOR and Melodic Rock. Live performances (with WHITE WIDDOW, DYNAZTY and more) that followed showed that the band was capable to deliver on stage as well.
WILDNESS recorded other two singles which caught the attention of AOR Heaven Records who signed the band and sent them to the studio for this debut CD. “Wildness” was produced, mixed, and mastered by Erik Wigelius (Wigelius, Care Of Night), so expect a pristine sound.
Very nice reissue with worthy bonus tracks, updated cover art, CD print in classic retro style, and full booklet with lyrics.
WILDNESS plays ’80s inspired melodic hard rock with a little edge and then neatly packaged with an AOR feel here and there. Much of the ‘edge’ comes from the brisk and assertive twin guitar riffage, yet without losing the essential and necessary twin guitar harmony. Following the riffs, the guitar solos are abundant and immense throughout this album.
The hard rock groove comes from a steady and heavy rhythm section that has all the subtleness of a sonic boom. All this hard n’ heavy bravado is tempered by catchy melodies and choruses, clean vocals and fine vocal harmonies, and a sweet dash synths for embellishment and atmosphere in the song arrangements.
For a small taste of the songs, you can expect racing rockers with ‘War Inside My Head’, ‘Stranger’, ‘Falling Down’, and ‘Highlands’. Those latter two songs have swift pacing which may remind some melodic rock bands from the ’80s.
For numbers with a larger synth presence look to ‘Alibi’, ‘Down In The City’, or ‘Turning The Pages’ where both orchestration and piano are essential elements. With ‘Welcome The Night’, you get a light acoustic guitar. But don’t be fooled, the song rips into a rocker with some stinging solos to start.
The ballad ‘The Flame’ (not the Cheap Trick song) features a strong piano line before giving way to a crescendo of rising riffs and a large soaring guitar solo.
Mixing muscular (yet extremely polished) riffs and melody galore, Wildness’s debut album is a really, really strong first effort, a bright slice of classic AOR-tuned melodic hard rock with an edge.
Listening to the album, a typical Scandinavian feel come from the speakers (namely Erik Mårtensson’s ECLIPSE), punchy and melodious at the same time.
Tracklist:
1. War Inside My Head (3:55)
2. Stranger (3:22)
3. Shadowland (04:38)
4 Alibi (05:11)
5. Collide (04:15)
6. Highlands (05:39)
7. Your Last Romance (3:37)
8. Down In The City (05:18)
9. Falling Down ( 4:12)
10. The Flame (5:35)
11. Welcome The Night (4:25)
12. Turning The Pages (05:55)
13. Eyes Of The Fire (Bonus) (3:17)
14. War Inside My Head (Demo) (3:38)
15. Down In The City (Demo) (5:20)
16. Turning The Pages (Demo) (5:53)
17. Collide (2022 Version) (4:12)
Wildness – Wildness (2017) [Reissue 2022] +5 Bonus Tracks CD w/Scans
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