TREAT - COUP DE GRACE

[Invisible_man]

Scorpions new album Sting in the Tail is out too, where Wikstrom/Thomander also co-wrote some stuff too...like the really sappy ballad Lorelei

[glam_junkie]

Finally listened to this one (apart from a couple of samples I'd heard) and was totally underwhelmed. Yeah, it wasn't bad,.... but album of the year? Far from it imo.

 

Didn't mind it, but comparing it to something else recent such as Crazy Lixx, i thouhgt it lacked the big catchy choruses. And I thought the vocal would be a bit stronger consider everyone is calling it album of the year. There were a couple of songs i thought were great, but the majority just 'good'.

 

From what i've heard from 2010 so far:

Crazy Lixx > Ratt > Reckless Love > Treat

[TIM (2)]

Finally listened to this one (apart from a couple of samples I'd heard) and was totally underwhelmed. Yeah, it wasn't bad,.... but album of the year? Far from it imo.

 

Didn't mind it, but comparing it to something else recent such as Crazy Lixx, i thouhgt it lacked the big catchy choruses. And I thought the vocal would be a bit stronger consider everyone is calling it album of the year. There were a couple of songs i thought were great, but the majority just 'good'.

 

From what i've heard from 2010 so far:

Crazy Lixx > Ratt > Reckless Love > Treat

 

Wow, you seriously must dislike this to put a new RATT album ahead of it?

[Glen]

Finally listened to this one (apart from a couple of samples I'd heard) and was totally underwhelmed. Yeah, it wasn't bad,.... but album of the year? Far from it imo.

 

Didn't mind it, but comparing it to something else recent such as Crazy Lixx, i thouhgt it lacked the big catchy choruses. And I thought the vocal would be a bit stronger consider everyone is calling it album of the year. There were a couple of songs i thought were great, but the majority just 'good'.

 

From what i've heard from 2010 so far:

Crazy Lixx > Ratt > Reckless Love > Treat

 

Wow, you seriously must dislike this to put a new RATT album ahead of it?

 

for your info mate, the new Ratt album is excellent.........but not as good as Treat IMO.

 

But I can totally understand why GJ likes it more.

[heavyharmonies]

Update:

 

This CD continues to completely and utterly dominate.

 

That is all.

[Geoff]

"Pre-order" despatched yesterday... commentary to follow next week upon it's much anticipated arrival.

[Glen]

"Pre-order" despatched yesterday... commentary to follow next week upon it's much anticipated arrival.

 

I reckon you'll hate it mate ;-)

[zacharyamelie]

I received my copy a few days ago and was all ready to do a track by track personal analysis. It would be pointless to do so, since every song is freakin' great. Other than the long and pointless intro this one is most likely my Danger Danger - Revolve of 2010. Like D2, every song is a winner, no real standout because they kind of all stand out. I have feeling my favorite guitar solo is the killer solo for Tangled Up, the guitar sound on that is so perfect, last year my fave solo was Steel Panther's Asian Hooker and the year before was Work Of Art's Maria.

 

Anyone who goes to HH or Melodicrock.com should have this one in their collection. I'm sure it will be at or near the top of many best lists by year's end.

[Glen]

I received my copy a few days ago and was all ready to do a track by track personal analysis. It would be pointless to do so, since every song is freakin' great. Other than the long and pointless intro this one is most likely my Danger Danger - Revolve of 2010. Like D2, every song is a winner, no real standout because they kind of all stand out. I have feeling my favorite guitar solo is the killer solo for Tangled Up, the guitar sound on that is so perfect, last year my fave solo was Steel Panther's Asian Hooker and the year before was Work Of Art's Maria.

 

Anyone who goes to HH or Melodicrock.com should have this one in their collection. I'm sure it will be at or near the top of many best lists by year's end.

 

Backed....in particular, 2 songs which have not received much attention are 'Tangled Up' and 'Breathless' but both are excellent MHR songs.

 

Also agree they should have ditched the intro or shortened to around 20-30 secs max.

 

'All In' still annoys me too. Easily the worst song on the album for me and if they were going to include it they should have stuck on the second half. At no 2 is just wrong IMO.

 

Minor gripes tho on an otherwise excellent abum.

[Captain Howdy]

Finally listened to this one (apart from a couple of samples I'd heard) and was totally underwhelmed. Yeah, it wasn't bad,.... but album of the year? Far from it imo.

 

Didn't mind it, but comparing it to something else recent such as Crazy Lixx, i thouhgt it lacked the big catchy choruses. And I thought the vocal would be a bit stronger consider everyone is calling it album of the year. There were a couple of songs i thought were great, but the majority just 'good'.

 

From what i've heard from 2010 so far:

Crazy Lixx > Ratt > Reckless Love > Treat

I dont have the Crazy Lixx or Reckless Love albums, but I agree with you on this. I was expecting something huge from the Treat album, but it wasnt that spectacular. I also agree that Ratt was far better.

The Ratt album was full of hooks and was far better than expected, to the point that I was totally blown away, but this album, while a good solid album, comes across as somewhat generic Euro rock.

Maybe it needs to grow on me, but it pales in comparison to some of their older stuff.

[Geoff]

Well slap my balls and call me Sandra, I'm in love! What a fantastic album this is! A few early points:

 

1. Easily their heaviest album yet. The guitar work on this is just awesome, and so amazing to hear from a band once associated with "AOR." The musical part of this CD throughout is just flawless.

 

2. The production job. Holy shit, this sounds absolutely stunning.

 

Now, to the songs. I'll start with the slightly negative first. But I want to be clear, picking the weaker songs on this CD was like watching a compilation of Amy Reid blowjobs and picking which one you'd least like to experience. That said, I thought the weakest tunes were 'Heaven Can Wait' (good song, but pretty much no chorus or hook), 'I'm Not Runnin' (the Stanfour song annoyed me and I just hate the orchestral part of this song, even if the rest is great) and the closer 'Breathless' I also found a little underwhelming. Good chorus, though, so it'll probably grow on me.

 

Now that that's out of the way, these are all the best songs I've head this year: 'Paper Tiger' (don't understand the lyrics, but amazing song), 'A Life To Die For' (stunning, stunning ballad), 'Skies of Mongolia' (musically one of the most impactful songs I've put my ears to), 'We Own the Night' (my favourite song from the album - flawless melodic rock) and 'All for Love' (absolutely BRILLIANT commercial/melodic rocker).

 

And the rest? LOVE them. As for 'All in' copping a bit upstairs, that probably has one of the best pre-choruses on the whole disc. That and 'Tangled up' are KILLER hard rockers, IMO. I can't go without mentioning the monster 'No Way Without You ' or the perfect opener, 'The war is over' either. What a superb album! 'Roar' is cool too, reminds me of 'Go' from their greatest hits CD.

 

Oh, and it must be said - Robert Ernlund = Truth be told, I would take this one album over 5 new Treat albums with the best melodic hard rock vocalist on the planet. He may not technically be a vocal god, but Ernlund is just up there with my all-time favourites. Don't know the reasons, but it's probably got a lot to do with that sneaky little Wikstrom writing these fantastic songs for/with him. They both shine on this (as does Borger, one of my all-time favourite drummers too).

[Glen]

Well slap my balls and call me Sandra, I'm in love! What a fantastic album this is! A few early points:

 

1. Easily their heaviest album yet. The guitar work on this is just awesome, and so amazing to hear from a band once associated with "AOR." The musical part of this CD throughout is just flawless.

 

2. The production job. Holy shit, this sounds absolutely stunning.

 

Now, to the songs. I'll start with the slightly negative first. But I want to be clear, picking the weaker songs on this CD was like watching a compilation of Amy Reid blowjobs and picking which one you'd least like to experience. That said, I thought the weakest tunes were 'Heaven Can Wait' (good song, but pretty much no chorus or hook), 'I'm Not Runnin' (the Stanfour song annoyed me and I just hate the orchestral part of this song, even if the rest is great) and the closer 'Breathless' I also found a little underwhelming. Good chorus, though, so it'll probably grow on me.

 

Now that that's out of the way, these are all the best songs I've head this year: 'Paper Tiger' (don't understand the lyrics, but amazing song), 'A Life To Die For' (stunning, stunning ballad), 'Skies of Mongolia' (musically one of the most impactful songs I've put my ears to), 'We Own the Night' (my favourite song from the album - flawless melodic rock) and 'All for Love' (absolutely BRILLIANT commercial/melodic rocker).

 

And the rest? LOVE them. As for 'All in' copping a bit upstairs, that probably has one of the best pre-choruses on the whole disc. That and 'Tangled up' are KILLER hard rockers, IMO. I can't go without mentioning the monster 'No Way Without You ' or the perfect opener, 'The war is over' either. What a superb album! 'Roar' is cool too, reminds me of 'Go' from their greatest hits CD.

 

Oh, and it must be said - Robert Ernlund = Truth be told, I would take this one album over 5 new Treat albums with the best melodic hard rock vocalist on the planet. He may not technically be a vocal god, but Ernlund is just up there with my all-time favourites. Don't know the reasons, but it's probably got a lot to do with that sneaky little Wikstrom writing these fantastic songs for/with him. They both shine on this (as does Borger, one of my all-time favourite drummers too).

 

Just as I thought, you hated it lol.

 

'All In' continues to grow on me....still think it was ill placed at no 2....Paper Tiger would have been better in that slot IMO.

 

& as for that ballad.......mmmm. way too sugary for me mate. The ballad on Crazy Lixx is far better IMO.

 

Otherwise I love this too. Surprised you're not lovin 'Breathless' more....that is a stunning MHR song in my book.

 

Cheers

[Geoff]

Well slap my balls and call me Sandra, I'm in love! What a fantastic album this is! A few early points:

 

1. Easily their heaviest album yet. The guitar work on this is just awesome, and so amazing to hear from a band once associated with "AOR." The musical part of this CD throughout is just flawless.

 

2. The production job. Holy shit, this sounds absolutely stunning.

 

Now, to the songs. I'll start with the slightly negative first. But I want to be clear, picking the weaker songs on this CD was like watching a compilation of Amy Reid blowjobs and picking which one you'd least like to experience. That said, I thought the weakest tunes were 'Heaven Can Wait' (good song, but pretty much no chorus or hook), 'I'm Not Runnin' (the Stanfour song annoyed me and I just hate the orchestral part of this song, even if the rest is great) and the closer 'Breathless' I also found a little underwhelming. Good chorus, though, so it'll probably grow on me.

 

Now that that's out of the way, these are all the best songs I've head this year: 'Paper Tiger' (don't understand the lyrics, but amazing song), 'A Life To Die For' (stunning, stunning ballad), 'Skies of Mongolia' (musically one of the most impactful songs I've put my ears to), 'We Own the Night' (my favourite song from the album - flawless melodic rock) and 'All for Love' (absolutely BRILLIANT commercial/melodic rocker).

 

And the rest? LOVE them. As for 'All in' copping a bit upstairs, that probably has one of the best pre-choruses on the whole disc. That and 'Tangled up' are KILLER hard rockers, IMO. I can't go without mentioning the monster 'No Way Without You ' or the perfect opener, 'The war is over' either. What a superb album! 'Roar' is cool too, reminds me of 'Go' from their greatest hits CD.

 

Oh, and it must be said - Robert Ernlund = Truth be told, I would take this one album over 5 new Treat albums with the best melodic hard rock vocalist on the planet. He may not technically be a vocal god, but Ernlund is just up there with my all-time favourites. Don't know the reasons, but it's probably got a lot to do with that sneaky little Wikstrom writing these fantastic songs for/with him. They both shine on this (as does Borger, one of my all-time favourite drummers too).

 

Just as I thought, you hated it lol.

 

'All In' continues to grow on me....still think it was ill placed at no 2....Paper Tiger would have been better in that slot IMO.

 

& as for that ballad.......mmmm. way too sugary for me mate. The ballad on Crazy Lixx is far better IMO.

 

Otherwise I love this too. Surprised you're not lovin 'Breathless' more....that is a stunning MHR song in my book.

 

Cheers

Yeah, I love the ballad. A little sugary maybe, but remember this is the band that once offered 'We are one'. Compared to that it's a death metal ballad. Love Ernlund's voice in it and the vocal melody in the verses (especially the first verse) is brilliant. Killer huge chorus too. Yeah, can't fault it personally.

 

Really not sure about 'Breathless'. 'I'm not runnin' is growing on me because of the strong chorus whilst I've pretty much delegated 'Heaven Can Wait' as the album's only filler track. But I'm still undecided on 'Breathless'. I don't like the intro and the verses don't really gel with me, but the chorus is okay. Definitely my 2nd least favourite song on the CD, but not sure if I'll grow to like it or not.

[zacharyamelie]

I love the bridge on Heaven Can Wait, not a filler to these ears, but common Geoff I can't believe you're saying the intro isn't a filler. I've actually only listened to it once, what a waste of 2 1/2 minutes.

 

My picks are tracks 11 through 13, in that order. No Way Without You, We Own The Night and All For Love with Skies Of Mongolia and Roar right behind them.

[Geoff]

I love the bridge on Heaven Can Wait, not a filler to these ears, but common Geoff I can't believe you're saying the intro isn't a filler. I've actually only listened to it once, what a waste of 2 1/2 minutes.

 

My picks are tracks 11 through 13, in that order. No Way Without You, We Own The Night and All For Love with Skies Of Mongolia and Roar right behind them.

Haha. Surely you jest. You honestly think I'd acknowledge let alone waste comment on an intro track? I even hate that I'm doing it now. But seriously, does it need to be written that I played through it once and never will dream of doing so again? I despise intros and honestly do not even acknowledge them as a track worth labelling as a filler. To me, 'Coup de grace' is a 13 track album. Same with Crashdiet; didn't even listen to that one because why waste the space on my Ipod? I'll skip it when I get the CD too, though.

[rudders73]

does anybody know if this will be issued in japan? cheers mitch

[melodicrockoz]

yes, with one bonus track.

[Glen]

Well slap my balls and call me Sandra, I'm in love! What a fantastic album this is! A few early points:

 

1. Easily their heaviest album yet. The guitar work on this is just awesome, and so amazing to hear from a band once associated with "AOR." The musical part of this CD throughout is just flawless.

 

2. The production job. Holy shit, this sounds absolutely stunning.

 

Now, to the songs. I'll start with the slightly negative first. But I want to be clear, picking the weaker songs on this CD was like watching a compilation of Amy Reid blowjobs and picking which one you'd least like to experience. That said, I thought the weakest tunes were 'Heaven Can Wait' (good song, but pretty much no chorus or hook), 'I'm Not Runnin' (the Stanfour song annoyed me and I just hate the orchestral part of this song, even if the rest is great) and the closer 'Breathless' I also found a little underwhelming. Good chorus, though, so it'll probably grow on me.

 

Now that that's out of the way, these are all the best songs I've head this year: 'Paper Tiger' (don't understand the lyrics, but amazing song), 'A Life To Die For' (stunning, stunning ballad), 'Skies of Mongolia' (musically one of the most impactful songs I've put my ears to), 'We Own the Night' (my favourite song from the album - flawless melodic rock) and 'All for Love' (absolutely BRILLIANT commercial/melodic rocker).

 

And the rest? LOVE them. As for 'All in' copping a bit upstairs, that probably has one of the best pre-choruses on the whole disc. That and 'Tangled up' are KILLER hard rockers, IMO. I can't go without mentioning the monster 'No Way Without You ' or the perfect opener, 'The war is over' either. What a superb album! 'Roar' is cool too, reminds me of 'Go' from their greatest hits CD.

 

Oh, and it must be said - Robert Ernlund = Truth be told, I would take this one album over 5 new Treat albums with the best melodic hard rock vocalist on the planet. He may not technically be a vocal god, but Ernlund is just up there with my all-time favourites. Don't know the reasons, but it's probably got a lot to do with that sneaky little Wikstrom writing these fantastic songs for/with him. They both shine on this (as does Borger, one of my all-time favourite drummers too).

 

Just as I thought, you hated it lol.

 

'All In' continues to grow on me....still think it was ill placed at no 2....Paper Tiger would have been better in that slot IMO.

 

& as for that ballad.......mmmm. way too sugary for me mate. The ballad on Crazy Lixx is far better IMO.

 

Otherwise I love this too. Surprised you're not lovin 'Breathless' more....that is a stunning MHR song in my book.

 

Cheers

 

Really not sure about 'Breathless'. 'I'm not runnin' is growing on me because of the strong chorus whilst I've pretty much delegated 'Heaven Can Wait' as the album's only filler track. But I'm still undecided on 'Breathless'. I don't like the intro and the verses don't really gel with me, but the chorus is okay. Definitely my 2nd least favourite song on the CD, but not sure if I'll grow to like it or not.

 

Really, i like that rolling riff.

 

also it has to be said that the solos in that song are pretty killer....the main one and the outro. Great end to the disc for me.

[JC_AOR]

'We Own the Night' is for me an amazing track and definitely the highlight of this disc, but I do really enjoy the whole thing. 'All For Love' is not far behind it. If I had to pick the weakest track I would say 'All In'. So far this disc is top of the year for me.

[Glen]

'We Own the Night' is for me an amazing track and definitely the highlight of this disc, but I do really enjoy the whole thing. 'All For Love' is not far behind it. If I had to pick the weakest track I would say 'All In'. So far this disc is top of the year for me.

 

backed, the trio of 'No Way Without You', 'We Own The Night' and 'All For Love' is immense.

 

Paper Tiger a close 4th.

[Geoff]

'We Own the Night' is for me an amazing track and definitely the highlight of this disc, but I do really enjoy the whole thing. 'All For Love' is not far behind it. If I had to pick the weakest track I would say 'All In'. So far this disc is top of the year for me.

 

backed, the trio of 'No Way Without You', 'We Own The Night' and 'All For Love' is immense.

That we can certainly all agree on. LOVE those three tunes.

[glam_junkie]

have given this one yet another try...

 

- is it just me or does the vocalist struggle with this style of music? usually the vocals combined with this style of music are massvie, smooth and powerful. i find the vocals on this tending to struggle quite a lot.

 

- songs like 'Skies of Mongolia'... what the hell is that all about. Musically a great song, but when bands have title/subjects like that it turns me off straight away? (have they ever been to mongolia?, or is it just some completely out of the way mysterious place they can put in a song?)

 

- track 5 (whatever it's called)... those sorts of intro destroy this sort of music for me

 

i'm going go and listen to crashdiet

[Geoff]

- is it just me or does the vocalist struggle with this style of music? usually the vocals combined with this style of music are massvie, smooth and powerful. i find the vocals on this tending to struggle quite a lot.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know the last time Robert Ernlund's voice was recorded on a CD (before the comeback for two tracks on their 'Best Of' CD in 2006) was 1989. Now, for a dude who has been out of the scene (as far as I know) for 17 years, I honestly don't think he sounds too shabby at all. I doubt he'll ever be called an all-time great, but I personally think he sounds outstanding on this CD. As I said above, I would not have it any other way.

 

- songs like 'Skies of Mongolia'... what the hell is that all about. Musically a great song, but when bands have title/subjects like that it turns me off straight away? (have they ever been to mongolia?, or is it just some completely out of the way mysterious place they can put in a song?)

Haha. Who cares, mate? When a song is this amazing does it really matter? You can't honestly tell me the subject matter for a song like, say 'Beautiful Bomb', has any more meaning than this, can you? I don't overly understand this or 'Paper tiger', but that said, each time I listen to them I chip away a little more at what I think they mean. And that's kind of cool in itself.

 

- track 5 (whatever it's called)... those sorts of intro destroy this sort of music for me

I've had a turbulent relationship with 'Roar' already, and for me it's the 3rd or 4th weakest song on the CD, but I still dig it personally.

[Glen]

have given this one yet another try...

 

- is it just me or does the vocalist struggle with this style of music? usually the vocals combined with this style of music are massvie, smooth and powerful. i find the vocals on this tending to struggle quite a lot.

 

- songs like 'Skies of Mongolia'... what the hell is that all about. Musically a great song, but when bands have title/subjects like that it turns me off straight away? (have they ever been to mongolia?, or is it just some completely out of the way mysterious place they can put in a song?)

 

- track 5 (whatever it's called)... those sorts of intro destroy this sort of music for me

 

i'm going go and listen to crashdiet

 

To be honest mate if you are a massive fan of sleaze rock etc like your good self, listening to a Treat album is always going to be a struggle.

 

Anyways,

 

1. No his voice sounds fine to me. Perfectly suited to this material and as Geoff says, after such a period out, its amazing he sounds this good really.

 

2. When I heard the sample of 'Mongolia', I was rolling about laughing as it just sounded ridiculous. Thankfully the song as a whole is good and they just about pull it off....although I do agree the subject matter is a bit 'far out'....some of the other songs on the album work a whole lot better.

 

3. 'Roar' is a bit cliched, but as a song i dont have any problems with it.

 

Cheers

[Geoff]

Just for the record, have you guys heard the amazing Jaded Heart bonus track 'Under the skies of Africa'? I think it's a 'IV' bonus track. Anyway, that's what 'Skies of Mongolia' reminds me of. Both songs are freakin' superb and I like the lyrics a lot in both. Nothing wrong with being a little exotic.