H.E.A.T - Tearing Down The Walls (2014)

[Ali Rock]

The best song IMO is Point of no return.

[AlphaMale]

What an awesome disc. I rate this about 94%. Excellent excellent disc.

[Stefan]

Japanese bonus track:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpELo95A1jc

[Geoff]

Japanese bonus track:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpELo95A1jc

 

Well I will be listening to that one tonight asap!

 

Dudes, I need to be a little bit of a devil's advocate on this one, to be honest. First things first, I really dig the album. If I'm being honest, though, I gotta say it's not quite as good as I hoped, or expected it to be. Is that because my expectations were too high? Indeed, I do think this is the problem. I was expecting a 95% disc and I think this'll be around the 85% mark for me in the end. So in that sense, yes, it is indeed excellent, but I probably did myself in a bit by expecting the world from it.

 

To explain in more annoying depth:

 

1. It's not as good as 'Address the nation.' To be honest, first impressions suggest I prefer 'ATN' by quite a lot.

2. imo, 'Under your skin' is definitely, without doubt, the best song HEAT have released in 2014. Why is it on that silly EP and not on the disc?

3. 'Shot at redemption' is by far the weakest song on the CD, the EP and one of their weakest songs ever. Why was it released as a single? Why?

 

Anyway, to the positives. 'Point of no return' is a deadset f*cking monster. When I heard it I just said to myself that this is going to be the best CD ever released. Killer tune. I also love 'Inferno' and 'Emergency.' 'Eye for an eye' would be next in line.

 

Unfortunately there's a few tunes like 'Mannequin Show,' 'We Will Never Die,' 'Enemy in Me,' and 'Laughing at Tomorrow' which are all very solid, but not quite as good as I was hoping for, or expecting from HEAT. Seriously, 4 good tunes, but these guys can do better than this.

 

As for the ballads, I like the title track. Great song and probably my 5th favourite on the disc. But 'All the nights.' Gotta say, it's not really working for me. It really, really needed a full band arrangement, imo, and is definitely nowhere near strong enough as a basic piano song. Okay song, but I prefer 'She's like the wind' if we're talking HEAT ballads. To be honest, HEAT are not the best ballad band, and this is again proven here.

 

Anyway, in a nutshell, I love the sound and style of the disc. I love 5 of the songs and think the rest are very strong. I thought it'd immediately be my favourite CD of the year and never even look like being toppled. But I'm not sure. Honestly, I don't think it's quite as good as the new Steel Panther disc. The best songs on the SP disc are better than the best on this disc, imo, and the weakest songs on the SP disc are definitely much better than the weakest tunes on this one. The mid-range tracks are roughly on par. I'd probably give the nod to SP again, just based on the lyrical interest. So yeah, overall, I prefer the SP disc, but this'll probably slot in at 2nd for me. Though, I did really like the States Of Panic disc... this could be as low as 3rd for me already, despite it being a very good album.

 

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Just a few initial thoughts after having this spinning back to back all day today.

[DeLaCruz]

Japanese bonus track:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpELo95A1jc

dude thanks, I was gonna ask if anyone had heard that

[DeLaCruz]

 

Japanese bonus track:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpELo95A1jc

 

Well I will be listening to that one tonight asap!

 

Dudes, I need to be a little bit of a devil's advocate on this one, to be honest. First things first, I really dig the album. If I'm being honest, though, I gotta say it's not quite as good as I hoped, or expected it to be. Is that because my expectations were too high? Indeed, I do think this is the problem. I was expecting a 95% disc and I think this'll be around the 85% mark for me in the end. So in that sense, yes, it is indeed excellent, but I probably did myself in a bit by expecting the world from it.

 

To explain in more annoying depth:

 

1. It's not as good as 'Address the nation.' To be honest, first impressions suggest I prefer 'ATN' by quite a lot.

2. imo, 'Under your skin' is definitely, without doubt, the best song HEAT have released in 2014. Why is it on that silly EP and not on the disc?

3. 'Shot at redemption' is by far the weakest song on the CD, the EP and one of their weakest songs ever. Why was it released as a single? Why?

 

Anyway, to the positives. 'Point of no return' is a deadset f*cking monster. When I heard it I just said to myself that this is going to be the best CD ever released. Killer tune. I also love 'Inferno' and 'Emergency.' 'Eye for an eye' would be next in line.

 

Unfortunately there's a few tunes like 'Mannequin Show,' 'We Will Never Die,' 'Enemy in Me,' and 'Laughing at Tomorrow' which are all very solid, but not quite as good as I was hoping for, or expecting from HEAT. Seriously, 4 good tunes, but these guys can do better than this.

 

As for the ballads, I like the title track. Great song and probably my 5th favourite on the disc. But 'All the nights.' Gotta say, it's not really working for me. It really, really needed a full band arrangement, imo, and is definitely nowhere near strong enough as a basic piano song. Okay song, but I prefer 'She's like the wind' if we're talking HEAT ballads. To be honest, HEAT are not the best ballad band, and this is again proven here.

 

Anyway, in a nutshell, I love the sound and style of the disc. I love 5 of the songs and think the rest are very strong. I thought it'd immediately be my favourite CD of the year and never even look like being toppled. But I'm not sure. Honestly, I don't think it's quite as good as the new Steel Panther disc. The best songs on the SP disc are better than the best on this disc, imo, and the weakest songs on the SP disc are definitely much better than the weakest tunes on this one. The mid-range tracks are roughly on par. I'd probably give the nod to SP again, just based on the lyrical interest. So yeah, overall, I prefer the SP disc, but this'll probably slot in at 2nd for me. Though, I did really like the States Of Panic disc... this could be as low as 3rd for me already, despite it being a very good album.

 

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Just a few initial thoughts after having this spinning back to back all day today.

 

Same here, although I don't like or dislike the exact same tracks as you do, I don't feel it's a 10/10 album without any fillers or such

 

BTW anyone else feel ''we will never die'' kinda resembles ''black velvet''??

[Glen]

That Jap bonus is pretty good (nice solo)....but for a refreshing change the Japs wont be getting the best track on the album ;-))

 

Not received my disc yet - hopefully Monday - so cant really comment fully but the tracks Ive heard so are all great imo (including A Shot At Redemption), with Inferno and Point Of No Return being the best songs Ive heard this year and better than anything on ATN.

 

I like Under Your Skin (despite the annoying keyboard) but is a way off Point Of No Return or Inferno or Emergency or Eye For An Eye come to that so its definitely NOT the best song that HEAT will release in 2014 imo, but hey to each their own.

 

But we'll see, re the full album - if Nighttrain & Alpha rate above 90% it must be pretty darned good.

[Geoff]

That Jap bonus is pretty good (nice solo)....but for a refreshing change the Japs wont be getting the best track on the album ;-))

 

 

It's not far off, though. I'd definitely rate that in the top 5 songs of the album, probably 3rd after 'Point of no return' and 'Inferno.' Love that tune. Kinda has that 'Got your mind in the gutter' vibe from Europe's near flawless 'Prisoners in Paradise.' Killer tune and one of the best choruses on the album.

[tts42572]

Can't say I agree on everything....But respect your opinion

 

I personally love the album from top to bottom. I love Shot at Redemption and have probably spun that song about 50 times since it came out...I just find it fun to listen to...sorta like watching Transformers. It's not a big thinking movie and it'll never win an Academy Award...But it's fun to watch....Eye Candy...Sorta the way I feel about that song and this album in general....ear candy

 

I'm also really digging Point of No Return, Inferno, Enemy In Me, Emergency, Eye For An Eye....All just fantastic melodic rock that gets my blood pumping.

 

I also like Under My Skin from the EP...and think it should've been on the album over Mannequin Show...Which is probably my least favorite song on the album. I'm also really liking Shame...The Japan bonus track.

 

Sometimes you get certain bands that you sorta get into a groove with and like just about everything they do...I've gotten in that groove with H.E.A.T with Address The Nation and this album...They're giving me exactly what I'm looking for and like the direction they took with this album.

 

I can understand why some would like it less than ATN though as it's got a tiny bit different vibe.

 

Maybe I'm just easy to please and there is so much garbage in the US music scene these days that this feels like a gift from the Heavens

 

 

 

 

Japanese bonus track:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpELo95A1jc

 

Well I will be listening to that one tonight asap!

 

Dudes, I need to be a little bit of a devil's advocate on this one, to be honest. First things first, I really dig the album. If I'm being honest, though, I gotta say it's not quite as good as I hoped, or expected it to be. Is that because my expectations were too high? Indeed, I do think this is the problem. I was expecting a 95% disc and I think this'll be around the 85% mark for me in the end. So in that sense, yes, it is indeed excellent, but I probably did myself in a bit by expecting the world from it.

 

To explain in more annoying depth:

 

1. It's not as good as 'Address the nation.' To be honest, first impressions suggest I prefer 'ATN' by quite a lot.

2. imo, 'Under your skin' is definitely, without doubt, the best song HEAT have released in 2014. Why is it on that silly EP and not on the disc?

3. 'Shot at redemption' is by far the weakest song on the CD, the EP and one of their weakest songs ever. Why was it released as a single? Why?

 

Anyway, to the positives. 'Point of no return' is a deadset f*cking monster. When I heard it I just said to myself that this is going to be the best CD ever released. Killer tune. I also love 'Inferno' and 'Emergency.' 'Eye for an eye' would be next in line.

 

Unfortunately there's a few tunes like 'Mannequin Show,' 'We Will Never Die,' 'Enemy in Me,' and 'Laughing at Tomorrow' which are all very solid, but not quite as good as I was hoping for, or expecting from HEAT. Seriously, 4 good tunes, but these guys can do better than this.

 

As for the ballads, I like the title track. Great song and probably my 5th favourite on the disc. But 'All the nights.' Gotta say, it's not really working for me. It really, really needed a full band arrangement, imo, and is definitely nowhere near strong enough as a basic piano song. Okay song, but I prefer 'She's like the wind' if we're talking HEAT ballads. To be honest, HEAT are not the best ballad band, and this is again proven here.

 

Anyway, in a nutshell, I love the sound and style of the disc. I love 5 of the songs and think the rest are very strong. I thought it'd immediately be my favourite CD of the year and never even look like being toppled. But I'm not sure. Honestly, I don't think it's quite as good as the new Steel Panther disc. The best songs on the SP disc are better than the best on this disc, imo, and the weakest songs on the SP disc are definitely much better than the weakest tunes on this one. The mid-range tracks are roughly on par. I'd probably give the nod to SP again, just based on the lyrical interest. So yeah, overall, I prefer the SP disc, but this'll probably slot in at 2nd for me. Though, I did really like the States Of Panic disc... this could be as low as 3rd for me already, despite it being a very good album.

 

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Just a few initial thoughts after having this spinning back to back all day today.

 

[Geoff]

There's not doubt in the world these guys are a large cut above most every other band in the genre. Perfect new CD or not. I also thought they'd hit that groove you speak of with 'Address the Nation,' and that they could do no wrong. And they certainly have not done anything wrong here. Like I said, shame on me, I just maybe expected a little too much. But it doesn't means it's not still a great disc.

 

I feel like 'Address The Nation' was a more well designed start to end product. Each song had it's style and it's place. That one was probably a little more "commercial" (melodic) overall too and I liked the variety of the songs across the board.

 

The new disc doesn't have the same variety of style and tempos of songs, imo.

 

Anyway I still dig it. I don't want to comment too much on their groove because if you dig up a super old thread you'll see me jinxing Wig Wam into oblivion. I still remember when 'Wig Wamania' came out I said they were in such an amazing groove that they could not write a bad song if they tried and that they were basically invincible. Of course, after that it was one of the most ungraceful descents of a band I've seen in recent history.

 

Anyway won't happen to HEAT. As long as they understand 'Shot at redemption' is NOT the way to go, these kids will be alright.

[Guest JoeS]

Hey all, popping in to echo the Aussie's thoughts, and offer up a few of my own. I was disappointed. To me, clearly a step back from the previous three, and away from the sound that brought them to this point. This is not Address the Nation Part 2. What it is, is a very large step towards an entirely new sound for the band, one that unfortunately for me, is concerning. This new harder style of rock is fine, but I don't feel like they pulled it off competently enough to convince me that their future material will ever be of the same quality of the earlier albums.

 

Point of No Return and Inferno are excellent examples of the sound I think they are chasing, but throughout the rest of the material, I'm hearing a general mishmash of odd keyboard parts and guitars that altogether sound like the product of less mature musicians. The lead single sounds like a singalong for children, Mannequin Show is ridiculous, or should have been a legitimate cover ala Jaded Heart if they really felt that those melodies were crucial, I cannot NOT picture Miley Cyrus on her wrecking ball during the chorus of Tearing Down the Walls, and Eye For an Eye has a similarly poppy chorus, that while catchy, reeks of the vapid banality that permeates modern Top 40 music. Enemy in Me is just terrible, and seems an exercise in modern songwriting that appeals to twenty year olds who rely on disc jockeys to tell them what good music is. Laughing at Tomorrow is also bad. Just, completely, .. a chorus of drunken fraternity brothers, maybe?

 

Sigh... Despite my tone, a good album, with some great songs, and while I may not have liked several tracks, that is mostly due to the stylistic changes, and can't say that there are other fratboys out there who wouldn't get a big kick out of them. The fact that the best of the bunch, and a tune most reminiscent of the past, was resigned to a B side on the single is only that much more telling that this group of guys is heading to new places, probably for worse if I had to wager a guess..

Also, the production doesn't seem that great to me. Grainy guitars, and lifeless drums. For THE premier melodic rock band, anyway...

On the pass or fail scale, I'll give it a B. Put up against our worlds musical record to date, closer to a 65%.

 

JS

[Glen]

Jesus.

[Glen]

Can I just say one thing - 'We Will Never Die'

 

Wow. What a stunning mid tempo track. This is melodic perfection in my book.

[Kim_Hp]

Quite surprised by the negatives here (even though they seem to be in minority) and really surprised that Geoff didn't rate this so high, I would have thought he would enjoy the harder direction here. Also don't get the hate against "Shot At Redemption" from a few people, to me one of the best tracks on the record and killer melodic rock.

 

I don't know what JoeS is talking about, this "a step back" from the previous records? As I said in my own review of this over at planetaor.com, there are some slightly new influences here (on a couple of tracks) but overall their sound hasn't changed one bit...can't really see the point about the production either, this CD sounds great to my ears.

The intresting thing about "We Will Never Die", Glen, is that this is actually a leftover from the Kenny days...written at the time of the debut if I am not mistaken. It's funny because before I knew that this was the one song on the album that I really thought sounded like something from the debut.

[Glen]

Absolutely mate - exactly what I was thinking - reminded me of the Feel The Heat style. So lush. I love that track.

 

Im also a fan of redemption but its probably an 8.5.

 

As for style - yeah puzzled by comments - sounds exactly like HEAT to me. In every way.

[Guest JoeS]

Don't get the impression that my critique is anything but the result of skyhigh expectations, but to expand a little on the stylistic change I'm feeling... The changes are subtle, but they're there. I don't have a problem with profanity, but here, I have to roll my eyes a little as I think to myself, as DeLaCruz notes above, "Ooooooooh, how 'edgy'!!!11!!!!1" It doesn't feel in line with the classic H.E.A.T sound and honestly, dumbs down the songs. I'm not in my twenties anymore, and this shift in attitude feels like an appeal to angsty young adults. Gronwall is certainly feistier and has a different attitude than his predecessor, and what I liked about Kenny was that his singing style didn't cater to the mass appeal of a general public that laps up the style, glitz, and gimmickry of music 'stars' instead of the songs themselves. This is really only evident on a couple tracks, but it's enough to throw me off.

The vocal stylings on Eye For an Eye and Enemy in Me in particular just reek of a 'younger' band playing music for 'younger' people. Appealing to a younger demographic is what I meant when I offered that this record is a step backward for the band. Let's face it, younger music listeners are generally looking for something different than what I look for, as a fan of the sort of melodic rock that is largely shunned by popular opinion. I want lush, soaring vocals that showcase huge melodies and vocal ability. Eye For an Eye, with its bubblegum pop chorus, sounds like a heavier version of a song by <insert your favorite pop princess here> and Enemy in Me, with those whispered sections and shouted chorus vocals, is more in line with a style of banal modern rock that isn't in league with what I wanted out of this particular release. Mannequin Show, in my opinion, is a disaster. Quirky keyboards, plodding guitars, and whether it was intended or not, far too reminiscent of one of the biggest pop hits of this millennium to not be a huge distraction to me. Shot at Redemption just plain doesn't sound like H.E.A.T and is far too jangly and removed from their classic sound. A great singalong track, but not in the spirit of their classic sound. I'm actually surprised that some of you aren't noticing the same stylistic changes. I think the attitude here is miles from that of their first two, and even of Gronwall's debut with the band. Shrug...

Again, it's not a bad record at all, as there is some excellent stuff here. Point of No Return, Inferno, We Will Never Die, and Emergency are all fantastic, with We Will Never Die being an excellent example of the H.E.A.T. sound that I wish they'd continued. All the Nights is a nice song, but agree with Geoff that it could have used the full band treatment to take it to the next level. Also, some of the keyboard intro work in a few spots on the album created some strange atmosphere that just didn't jive with me.

The clunkers are Eye For an Eye, Enemy in Me, and Mannequin Show, while Shot at Redemption, Laughing at Tomorrow, and Tearing Down Walls are decent songs and I wouldn't begrudge another for enjoying them, stylistically they don't appeal to me.

Bottom Line is that I find myself listening to this album more to dissect what it is that I don't like about it rather than simply to enjoy it's brilliance, which tells me that it certainly has plenty of flaws. Again, just my take. I'd actually been working on quite an in depth, 'controversial' review of this album and had many thousands of characters down in Notepad before Windows Update reared it's ugly head and I wasn't quick enough on the draw to commit the .txt to disk before Automatic Update gave the virtual bird and sent my afternoons work out to wherever the hell 1's and 0's go to die. Had to get at least some of it off my chest.. Ha

[Glen]

Sounds like youre overthinking it mate....even for HH forum lol.

 

Just enjoy it for what it is - a great melodic rock record. Hell we could argue slight flaws til the cows come home or slight changes in style.

 

Whatever its still gonna be in most peoples top 5 this year and is head and shoulders over most other albums so far this year.

[AlphaMale]

Sounds like youre overthinking it mate....even for HH forum lol.

 

Just enjoy it for what it is - a great melodic rock record. Hell we could argue slight flaws til the cows come home or slight changes in style.

 

Whatever its still gonna be in most peoples top 5 this year and is head and shoulders over most other albums so far this year.

 

Agree 100%

[Nightrain]

Well for me, this one's slightly more enjoyable than ATN and probably Freedom Rock, but three are solid albums so no point to argue when they're all in the 90%-ish

[AlphaMale]

Well for me, this one's slightly more enjoyable than ATN and probably Freedom Rock, but three are solid albums so no point to argue when they're all in the 90%-ish

 

I think this is every bit as good as ATN. I never cared much for the debut or Freedom Rock. They weren't that great IMO. Erik and a beefed up sound made all the difference on ATN and the new one.

[Glen]

I tell you what I wasnt too impressed with the title track but its been stuck in my head all day!!

[The Rocker]

I think the new one is really good, does seem to get better with every listen. With that said, ATN was my album of the year it was released. I don't see this being my #1, but is still early enough for that to change I guess.

[Geoff]

Just for the record, this is where I'm at with the disc after living with it for a week and a lot of spins:

 

01. Point Of No Return - killer hard rock opener - 9.50

02. A Shot At Redemption - still a really, really weak tune for these guys - 7.00

03. Inferno - like the opener, another really killer tune - 9.50

04. The Wreckoning - interlude

05. Tearing Down The Walls - delicious ballad, like a big cheesy 80's Scandi ballad - but nice - 9.00

06. Mannequin Show - not a huge fan of this one. Decent tune, but not a cool vibe at all. Good pre-chorus, though - 7.75

07. We Will Never Die - solid happy inspiro melodic rock. Bit run-of-the-mill, though - 7.50

08. Emergency - they're back - another huge, killer melodic hard rock anthem. Love this one - 9.50

09. All The Nights - good ballad, but not strong enough as it is; needs the full band for sure - 7.25

10. Eye For An Eye - very cool hard rocker again - 8.50

11. Enemy In Me - nice kind of bouncy rocker - not bad. Not a huge fan of the chanty end to the chorus - 7.50

12. Laughing At Tomorrow - big kind of sing-a-long closer, but again, just not loving the vibe on this one - 7.50

13. Shame (Bonus Track) - cool, swaggery vibe, great chorus and a good rocker. Along with 'Under your skin,' this needed to be on the disc for sure. 8.50

Total - 82.50

[Kim_Hp]

Don't get the impression that my critique is anything but the result of skyhigh expectations, but to expand a little on the stylistic change I'm feeling... The changes are subtle, but they're there. I don't have a problem with profanity, but here, I have to roll my eyes a little as I think to myself, as DeLaCruz notes above, "Ooooooooh, how 'edgy'!!!11!!!!1" It doesn't feel in line with the classic H.E.A.T sound and honestly, dumbs down the songs. I'm not in my twenties anymore, and this shift in attitude feels like an appeal to angsty young adults. Gronwall is certainly feistier and has a different attitude than his predecessor, and what I liked about Kenny was that his singing style didn't cater to the mass appeal of a general public that laps up the style, glitz, and gimmickry of music 'stars' instead of the songs themselves. This is really only evident on a couple tracks, but it's enough to throw me off.

 

The vocal stylings on Eye For an Eye and Enemy in Me in particular just reek of a 'younger' band playing music for 'younger' people. Appealing to a younger demographic is what I meant when I offered that this record is a step backward for the band. Let's face it, younger music listeners are generally looking for something different than what I look for, as a fan of the sort of melodic rock that is largely shunned by popular opinion. I want lush, soaring vocals that showcase huge melodies and vocal ability. Eye For an Eye, with its bubblegum pop chorus, sounds like a heavier version of a song by <insert your favorite pop princess here> and Enemy in Me, with those whispered sections and shouted chorus vocals, is more in line with a style of banal modern rock that isn't in league with what I wanted out of this particular release. Mannequin Show, in my opinion, is a disaster. Quirky keyboards, plodding guitars, and whether it was intended or not, far too reminiscent of one of the biggest pop hits of this millennium to not be a huge distraction to me. Shot at Redemption just plain doesn't sound like H.E.A.T and is far too jangly and removed from their classic sound. A great singalong track, but not in the spirit of their classic sound. I'm actually surprised that some of you aren't noticing the same stylistic changes. I think the attitude here is miles from that of their first two, and even of Gronwall's debut with the band. Shrug...

 

Again, it's not a bad record at all, as there is some excellent stuff here. Point of No Return, Inferno, We Will Never Die, and Emergency are all fantastic, with We Will Never Die being an excellent example of the H.E.A.T. sound that I wish they'd continued. All the Nights is a nice song, but agree with Geoff that it could have used the full band treatment to take it to the next level. Also, some of the keyboard intro work in a few spots on the album created some strange atmosphere that just didn't jive with me.

 

The clunkers are Eye For an Eye, Enemy in Me, and Mannequin Show, while Shot at Redemption, Laughing at Tomorrow, and Tearing Down Walls are decent songs and I wouldn't begrudge another for enjoying them, stylistically they don't appeal to me.

 

Bottom Line is that I find myself listening to this album more to dissect what it is that I don't like about it rather than simply to enjoy it's brilliance, which tells me that it certainly has plenty of flaws. Again, just my take. I'd actually been working on quite an in depth, 'controversial' review of this album and had many thousands of characters down in Notepad before Windows Update reared it's ugly head and I wasn't quick enough on the draw to commit the .txt to disk before Automatic Update gave the virtual bird and sent my afternoons work out to wherever the hell 1's and 0's go to die. Had to get at least some of it off my chest.. Ha

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with Glen, looks like you've put some thought into this!

You do come off as a big fan of the band and of course we all have strong feelings about our fave bands, I'm just sorry that you were dissapointed... I sure wasn't, although I can understand some of your points.

 

IMO "All The Nights" is amazing stuff, with or without full band and Erik's performance here is nothing short of fantastic.

[Glen]

Backed. I LOVED All The Nights. Stunning track.