Heavy Metal Resource Reviews-W.E.T., Pop Evil, Ginevra, Streetlight, & Laurenne/Louhimo

Index

W.E.T. is without a doubt one of my favorite Frontiers Records projects. Each album really hits a high mark. Usually fairly melodic with a bit of crunch to it. The chemistry vocally between Jeff Scott Soto and Erik Martensson is always great. once again you get plenty of this on 'Apex'. Kind of a harmony between singers. The band as a whole sounds great as always. Songs in terms of quality are right on par with previous releases. Most are instantly memorable and have a nice upbeat feel to them. There is plenty of melody fused in as is the usual case. To summarize, this is a high quality release by some of the genre's best musicians. If you are a fan of old school melodic hard rock, you probably already know about this album and band. If not, you are in for a treat. The band has quite a few previous releases, all of which are worth picking up. Excellent as always!

Release Date: March 28, 2025

My musical taste has really grown through the years. I dig the classics, but at the same time love to venture into new ground as well. Been following Pop Evil for awhile now, and I really love this band. They don't really make the same album twice. What they do is leap from the sound of the previous and evolve it with the next album. There is constant growth musically with this band. For those who may not be familiar, Pop Evil is a more modern hard rock act that sometimes gets heavy enough to consider metal. Music can be aggressive, but there is a layer of simplicity here that broadens the appeal. The crossover appeal is pretty good for different eras of fans of rock. Another killer musically journey with this album. I also love how modern this is, but at the same time how retro the album artwork is. Reminds me of the early 80's metal album covers. Very cool release!

Release Date: March 21, 2025

A few years after the band's great debut album 'We Belong To The Stars' comes the newest musical journey 'Beyond Tomorrow'. Following basically the same musical style and path, the band offers up more great songs in an almost more melodic metal genre. Fans of Seventh Crystal will recognize Kristian Fyhr on vocals but we also realize this is quite different than that band. Magnus Karlsson, Jimmy Jay, and Magnus Ulfstedt round up the band's lineup and with the familiarity of those names, you can call this a supergroup. Musically, there is a pretty thick sound with a decent amount of depth. The band relies on musical substance, both lyrically and musically. With the ongoing political climate, it's nice to see bands just stick to entertaining the fans. This is a solid project style act. The chemistry between musicians is quite good and the album benefits greatly!

Release Date: March 28, 2025

One of my more favorite and recent artists is Sweden's Streetlight. We were able to look at the bands previous release 'Ignition' and were instant fans. This new release continues in that direction, but also evolves some. The band really embrace melodic rock and AOR, but also had some elements similar to maybe 80's Kansas. I heard moments that had me thinking that very band and era. I really like the melody. It's an album that you can chill with. The band isn't afraid to kick it up a notch if the song benefits from it, but melody rules the day here. Songs once again are quite good. I love the nostalgic feel of some of the music. Keyboards have you thinking the 80's in various places for sure. I am glad I stumbled on to this band. I love this side of Frontiers Records and there are a handful of bands I really dig. Streetlight is one of those. Easy recommend for fans of AOR!

Release Date: March 14, 2025

This really is a great project. The two female vocalists compliment each other very well and the band as a whole really deliver on this new album. I was already a fan of the singers and the previous album. Music sounded confident and songs were really likable. I think with 'Falling Through Stars', they have reached even greater heights. This album really hit me in a good way. From the epic feel of the opening through the heavier gritty songs, and even to the more melodic stuff. The music just sounds really good and has a confident feel once again. Netta Laurenne comes from Smackbound who we like a lot and Noora Louhimo fronts Battle Beast as many are already aware. It was an interesting pairing that just works so well. If you like a bit of variety with some decent depth, this album is definitely worth your time to check out. Excellent!

Release Date: April 18, 2025