BLACK ROSE - Turn On The Night (2013)

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BLACK ROSE is a Swedish band (not to be confused with the U.K. act or any other group using the same name) originally formed back in 1990 with more than a few time lags between albums and line-up changes.
"Turn On The Night" comes nine years from their last officially released full length album. Nevertheless, for pure Eighties-style Hard Rock in the Swedish tradition, Black Rose continues to fire on all cylinders.

Actually, excepting a ballad, this CD veers more to the melodic hardest rock side of things with strong riffs, raspy, sometimes husky vocals and a rather bombastic rhythm section, in a style akin Lionsheart, M.ILL.ION, Pretty Maids, Axel Rudi Pell and early Europe.
The musical commander here is six-string wizard Thomas Berg, owner of a clean technique over his impressive rhythm guitars and elaborated solos in the traditional way, but hardly typical or repetitive from song to song.
Singer Peter Thederan is the other strong foundation in the band's compact sound delivering a complete performance with his wide range vocals, reminding me of the legendary Kai Hansen in some of the tracks. Thederan is also responsible of the solid harmonies and background vocals the band has come up with.

The CD opener "My Enemies" starts with a very strange bass note which sounds like a spaceship appearing from behind the dark clouds, and suddenly drummer Peter Haga starts to rock the flames on his drums. Also an epic keyboard line joins them to complete this circle of greatness. You can hear traces of '80s Yngwie Malmsteen on the guitar work yet more melodic, with a very clean fast picking.
Follower "Rise Again" is much more traditional Hard sporting a winner, catchy eighties riff and a melodious chorus build around very good harmonies.
Title track "Turn On The Night" is another guitar-driven track with a blast of drums in background, a true rocking song with razor riffs and wonderful guitar solos a la Axel Rudi Pell, while "Never Let Me Down" is rich in melodies and the chorus hooks you up right away.

As said, "We Were Winners" is the only ballad here, in the very European style filled with acoustics and floating electric guitars. There's a lovable powerful chorus that made me think of Pretty Maids. A highlight.
"Hunter" returns to the hard sounds with a conception inspired by Rainbow Dio-era with good dynamics and a little different production orientation than the rest of the tracks. Kick ass Blackmore-like guitar solo.
"The Bold And The Beauty" is a heavy but melodic midtempo with riffantastic guitars, whilst the pace ups a little with the eighties rocker "Busted".
The album ends with a great Pretty Maids sounding track called "Our Wisdom", perhaps the more Melodic Hard Rock tune of the entire album thanks to the catchy chorus, still retaining the band's edge.

"Turn On The Night" delivers energetic and melodic eighties inspired European Hard Rock sounds with a huge amount of powerful guitar riffs and solos.
The band performs very well together and the feel-good vibe is present all over as there's no dark lyrics / melodies here, just rockin' uptempo tunes.
Black Rose feels like genuine musicians playing from the heart the music they love and that can be heard between the nine songs of this correctly self-produced CD.
Keep on rockin'.


01 - My Enemies
02 - Rise Again
03 - Turn On The Night
04 - Never Let Me Down
05 - We Were Winners
06 - Hunter
07 - The Bold And The Beauty
08 - Busted
09 - Our Wisdom

Peter Thederan – Lead and Background Vocals
Thomas Berg – Guitar
Anders Haga – Bass
Peter Haga – Drums


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