Eric3

Honestly... this is better than the new W.E.T., imo. Maybe a song too long but it's way more consistent and many more of the melodies have stuck with me.

It's funny because I didn't think much of this band after their debut, but now I definitely have to revisit it.

Hmm...first half of the album is stellar but I'm not sold on the second half yet (apart from One Final Kiss, which might be a top 5 W.E.T. song)

13 hours ago, Glen said:

good read but the only list I have any real connection with is Jez - agree with a lot there 

I'm with you on that, but that just means I have a lot to catch up on, which is fine with me

Pendragon is an awesome band. I was pleasantly surprised to see them on there.

23 hours ago, KarpetRydOFunk said:

The tune is great, but the lyrics are a bit weird. The words don't flow as nicely as they could. Seems like it could've used a quick rewrite. 

lol, that's a good point. I feel like the lyrics have never been the strongest point of this project though (but then, how many AOR bands can claim that?)

At least they weren't ripped from other bands or the Frontiers encyclopedia of cliches. How many more times do we need to hear the "breaking my chains" line?

...OK, that's really fucking good! 

2 hours ago, J.S.M said:

I actually think it's better than Eclipse because the difference that I see is Eric Martensson is using the same formula for every song, even the guitar always sounds the same, it plays very similar riffs and so on. The W.e.t album that's released tomorrow has the same songs on it as the previous Eclipe album, at least you could think so by listening both albums once. He's writing great songs and I bought the last two Eclipse albums but I think in Ronnie's song there's less formula, more real feelings. And I prefer Ronnie's voice. It has this "hey, I experienced a lot, let me tell you" character that not a lot of voices have. 

Agreed with all of this, especially feelings over formula.

You can really tell when an artist puts their all into music and that's what I'm getting from these two songs. 

I've liked the new singles but my hopes for this album are not *that* high and here's why:

Listen to the debut. KILLER opening track. KILLER closing track. Maybe one or two skippable songs in between but the rest is absolute fire.

Can you see this album reaching those heights? From what I've heard so far, I can't, and the last two albums haven't even been close to the self-titled. I think it will be enjoyable enough like Earthrage was, plenty of "nice" and "good" songs, but I think we were just spoiled rotten by the debut.

I don't mean to come across as pessimistic, it just came to me the other day when thinking about this project how fucking high the bar was set right away. 

P.S. lol, that Rock Pit review was heavy on hyperbole and light on actual substance. These pre-release reviews RARELY have anything negative to say about anything they get from a big-name label.

Not sure if this has been posted before but JLT said the following on his Facebook page:

Quote

There has been and outpour of emails and requests for comments from me regarding the situation with the new Sunstorm album announcement.

 

I feel it is important to set the story straight and give my side of

the circumstances. Let me start by pointing out that until two days ago I had no idea that Frontiers will continue with the Sunstorm brand. It was a complete surprise to me as it was to all of you.

 

After five albums and over a dozen years of working with Sunstorm I decided it was time to move on. This was not taken lightly and the decision for me happened quite a while ago when I felt that the original point of the Project was lost somewhere over time.

 

Sunstorm began as a reason to record and release song demos I had accumulated over the past years. With contributions from my good friend Jim Peterik and a few other talented song writers, the first two Sunstorm albums were born. These albums were a true labour of love for me and I was totally invested and inspired with the Project. I believe these albums will stand the test of time due to the conceptual originality and the contributions within.

 

As Sunstorm developed, it devolved into a more of a ‘’house band Project’’ for the Label and I became less inspired and disinterested about my participation. I felt like it was becoming more of a ‘’contract job’’ and to continue I would not only be cheating the fans but mostly myself as an Artist. It must come from the heart and soul to be real.

 

Don’t misunderstand, I am very proud of the Sunstorm series and the contributions of all the talented people involved. They are great records but it was simply time to move on. An Artist must constantly challenge themselves to grow and transform to reach their true potential. And that is exactly what I have been doing for quite some time now and the results are more than satisfying.

Sometime in 2021 I will deliver something new and exciting forged from the heart, soul and spirit of intense life experience.

 

I hope this message will bring some clarity and understanding of the situation. I thank each and everyone of you for your time and concern but most of all for the love, loyalty and support you have given me through out all the years.

 

These are very difficult and challenging times, so stay healthy, stay strong and stay true to yourself.’’

Blessings, JLT.

He makes a great point about music coming from the heart. I think most of us can agree that this project was becoming more and more "cookie cutter" even before he left.

Is it just me or does the voice not suit the music?

Definitely passing on this one.

Ugh, del Vecchio again but the production is a lot more lively than on the last album. 

Well this instantly became my most anticipated release of 2021.

Melodic, bombastic, with just a touch of '70s prog flavor. Awesome!

13 hours ago, melodicrock said:

4. Get pissy with every single person that complains.

lol, yeah their Facebook page is always fun to read

Backing vocals sound terrible...as always...

On 12/12/2020 at 11:42 AM, Glen said:

no I meant kennys vocals slightly less accented.....than they were 10 years ago. 

Erik always clean to me too 

Yes, Kenny is sounding much less like himself to me :/ 

Please bring back the Martin brothers for this one, Crossfire is one of my all-time favorites and it was painful to hear this project get del Vecchio'd.

This is the most Frontiers thing ever.

1. Create a studio project featuring a legendary singer; everyone buys it because the vocals bring nostalgia

2. Replace the singer after 15 years but keep the name of the project because monies!!!!1

3. Hit up one of your in-house producers who has already written for 50 of your other studio projects

Holy shit, I had no idea he was sick again, much less that it was so much worse this time around...

Great song. I'm with tts42572, I hope the rest of the album is of a similar sound. It's terrible to hear the news about Ronnie's health though, man.

Second song is good! 

Great interview, but I'm missing a question about his workout regimen

Seriously though, he seems like a really cool and humble guy. I particularly liked the comments about wanting to sing songs that weren't originally written with him and then giving so many thanks to the fans for sticking around. 

Oooh, someone has been taking his Survivor supplements! I dig it!

That album cover though... sometimes less is more

I think the song is just OK, but I like that they thought outside the box a little with the heavy verse/clean chorus structure, rather than the inverse which has become incredibly predictable and boring (see last 2 Eclipse albums). The chorus riff sounds very 80s, maybe it's just the clean guitar though.

I suspect this song will grow on me and I'm looking forward to the new album a lot more now. Hoping for more Sall influence on the rest of it.

Can they bring this song back now?

And I don't mean as an acoustic!

Hmm, for all these years I thought fans preferred Kenny. Guess I was wrong about that, lots of folks are really upset that Erik left.

They're both tremendous vocalists and talented as hell and I'm excited to hear what Kenny can bring after so many years away from the band. It sucks that Erik is moving on but really cool that they brought Kenny back. Also the release and the photos of Erik handing the microphone to Kenny are super classy, you don't see that sort of thing often.

Another brilliant Frontiers production LOL. Totally unlistenable, just like its predecessor. 

How does this keep happening, anyway? The average Bandcamp solo project sounds better these days.