Harem Scarem - Thirteen

[Nightrain]

Based on the 4 tracks, I'm quite sure this new album will be in the top ten for most of us here

[AlphaMale]

Based on the 4 tracks, I'm quite sure this new album will be in the top ten for most of us here

 

Agree!

[melodicrock]

It's brilliant...again....

 

Just great new HS music. There's 4-5 songs that run in a row that are just pure melodic bliss.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

It's brilliant...again....

 

Just great new HS music. There's 4-5 songs that run in a row that are just pure melodic bliss.

 

I hate you, Andrew. Always gotta throw it in our face. ;}

[Geoff]

 

Sounds real nice when it hit's that 3rd track. I'm sure it'll be another great album from these guys. Can't believe it's been 6 years since the last HS disc. Crazy. I guess it doesn't feel that long because of the excellent Hess release a couple of years back.

[Stefan]

Artwork for 'Thirteen':

 

 

Tracks:

 

1. Garden of Eden

2, Live It

3. Early Warning Signs

4. The Midnight Hours

5. Whatever It Takes

6. Saints and Sinners

7. All I Need

8. Troubled Times

9. Never Say Never

10. Stardust

11. Garden of Eden (Acoustic Version – bonus track)

[zacharyamelie]

Anybody listen to the samples Dan posted?

 

All sounds great and than bam! A Country like song called 'Live It'. I'm not sure if I like or hate it, the guitar work from Pete on the track sounds great, but country and HS I'm not sure.

 

The samples to the tracks ' Saints And Sinners' and 'All I Need'. Sound awesome! Especially Pete's guitar work....can't wait to hear the solos that are in the tracks.

 

Having Darren doing backing vocals is like VH with Michael Anthony doing bv's....it's just the way it should always have been.

[The Rocker]

Anybody listen to the samples Dan posted?

 

All sounds great and than bam! A Country like song called 'Live It'. I'm not sure if I like or hate it, the guitar work from Pete on the track sounds great, but country and HS I'm not sure.

 

The samples to the tracks ' Saints And Sinners' and 'All I Need'. Sound awesome! Especially Pete's guitar work....can't wait to hear the solos that are in the tracks.

 

Having Darren doing backing vocals is like VH with Michael Anthony doing bv's....it's just the way it should always have been.

Where are these samples?

[Stefan]

 

Anybody listen to the samples Dan posted?

 

All sounds great and than bam! A Country like song called 'Live It'. I'm not sure if I like or hate it, the guitar work from Pete on the track sounds great, but country and HS I'm not sure.

 

The samples to the tracks ' Saints And Sinners' and 'All I Need'. Sound awesome! Especially Pete's guitar work....can't wait to hear the solos that are in the tracks.

 

Having Darren doing backing vocals is like VH with Michael Anthony doing bv's....it's just the way it should always have been.

Where are these samples?

 

 

 

http://heavyharmonies.com/cgi-bin/glamcd.cgi?BandNum=718&CDName=Thirteen

[Mullethead]

I have the Japanese 2CD Limited Edition pre-ordered. Has a bonus track and a bonus live cd as well. Really looking forward to this one!

[melodicrockoz]

I'm still to weight up the best version to get but I am thinking the Japanese 2 cd version with the bonus track and extra cd The Pledge version's pretty cool too, atleast the band garuanteed to get paid from thier pledge release

[Mullethead]

I'm still to weight up the best version to get but I am thinking the Japanese 2 cd version with the bonus track and extra cd The Pledge version's pretty cool too, atleast the band garuanteed to get paid from thier pledge release

Go to cdjapan.com and preorder it. They are limited and they only have a few left when I did mine.

[Nightrain]

Only 18 left as we speak, hm not sure if it's really worth the bonus live CD as they already had so many live CDs out but really tempting

[Glen]

90 secs samples on itunes.

 

Mmm im not crazy about it. 3 or 4 classic sounding HS tracks, but overall im not convinced.

 

Hope the full album proves me wrong

[heavyharmonies]

???

 

90 secs samples on itunes.

Mmm im not crazy about it. 3 or 4 classic sounding HS tracks, but overall im not convinced.

Hope the full album proves me wrong

 

Umm... WHAT?

 

It is classic Harem Scarem. Like AC/DC, they can release the same album over and over and over, but who gives a damn, it's goddamned ear candy! They could sing the phone book and I'd buy it.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

???

 

90 secs samples on itunes.

 

Mmm im not crazy about it. 3 or 4 classic sounding HS tracks, but overall im not convinced.

 

Hope the full album proves me wrong

 

Umm... WHAT?

 

It is classic Harem Scarem. Like AC/DC, they can release the same album over and over and over, but who gives a damn, it's goddamned ear candy! They could sing the phone book and I'd buy it.

 

You been goin' on about AC/DC all week.

[Glen]

Sounds like it picks up in the middle but the first 2 sounds like complete fillers to me.

 

I love the band though so will defo buy and hope im proved wrong :-)

[melodicrockoz]

I'd love it if i hear the entire album in full to check how out awesome it is

[AlphaMale]

Oh. My. God.

 

This is pure ear ecstacy to me. I absolutely love this disc!!!

 

Essential!!

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Oh. My. God.

 

This is pure ear ecstacy to me. I absolutely love this disc!!!

 

Essential!!

I downloaded the Japanese version of this, because I couldn't wait for my Pledge copy to arrive. I haven't had much time to play the whole time, but I've listened to "Midnight Hours" a few times, as it was my favourite from the samples.

[Geoff]

The Jap version is pointless as it only has an acoustic version of that song.

 

I gotta be honest and say I'm a little lukewarm on this one. The first three songs actually got me real nervous. The opener is average at best, but already growing on me. 'Live it' is probably the worst song the band has recorded since their 'Voice of reason' CD, and 'Early warning signs' is also very weak for Harem Scarem - not a good song at all.

 

However, thankfully that's where the real concern ends. For the most part the rest is pretty good stuff, typical of what you'd expect from modern Harem Scarem. Some of the vocal harmonies are a little rough in the choruses, and 'Never say never' is the most inspirational I've ever heard from HS, and a bit scary with some silly chorus lyrics, but it's actually not too bad. Early faves could be 'Whatever it takes,' 'All I need' and maybe 'Stardust,' which didn't hit immediately but was already better on further listens.

 

Overall, this won't threaten my top 10 this year and it will probably go down as one of Harem Scarem's weakest albums, BUT, a weak HS album is still better than 90% of other bands.

 

Good album, and kind of what I expected to be totally honest. But you always still have that hope that from HS it could be amazing again. Maybe next album...

[Glen]

Dunno what your listening to mate but I though it was pretty killer all the way through.

 

The first 2 were much stronger than I thought which was a pleasant surprise, the rest is pretty much classic Harem (probably leaning towards Higher which suits me).....only 'All I Need' grated....but only slightly.

 

Initial standouts were 'Whatever It Takes', 'Saints and Sinners', and the sublime 'Stardust' (what a chorus!)

 

If I had one complaint (and its pretty small) its I would have preferred the vocal to be a little clearer.....sounds a little buried....but as i say, minor quibble.

 

I still think that White Widdow will beat Harem at their own game, cos the samples of that sound like the HS debut to me - very excited for that one.

[Glen]

Had the hooks in Garden of Eden & Troubled Times stuck in my head all day. Surprising album.

[AlphaMale]

Man.... songs 4 through 8 and track 10 are melodic bliss!

 

I love the whole disc with track 2 being the weakest track.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

Man.... songs 4 through 8 and track 10 are melodic bliss!

 

I love the whole disc with track 2 being the weakest track.

I'd argue that's not even a weak track, though.