H.E.A.T - Force Majeure (2022)

[CMGiordano]

Listening to it now (I know I'm late)...

Some starter notes, that have no doubt been mentioned here already, but I didn't read through the whole thread:
-Production is overdone. I don't know why, when Tobias Lindell had done such a masterful job mixing their last few records, he would do this? 

-I've always liked H.E.A.T better with Kenny than with Erik. Not because I think Kenny is a better singer by any stretch (though I do think Kenny's voice is underrated when comparisons of the two inevitably arise), but for the same reason I prefer Danger Danger with Ted Poley to Paul Laine. Kenny's voice is, to me, part of the sound of H.E.A.T and I felt like it was missing the longer Erik was the vocalist with the band, even though 3/4 of the records they did with him were phenomenal.

-For the first time, I feel like H.E.A.T doesn't know where they're going. On previous records, there was a distinct direction they were clearly striving for -- the original self-titled album and Freedom Rock were clearly products of their influences and the albums that followed with Erik Gronwall showed the growth and maturity of their playing, songwriting and the budding production skills of Jonah Tee. But I can't figure out if Force Majeure is meant to be a step forward or a step back. I wouldn't go so far as to say that any of the songs are bad, but there's not a single banger present here, as far as I'm concerned, which I was not expecting.

-I also feel like this is the first time you can really hear Eric Rivers's absence since he left the band after Tearing Down the Walls. Into the Great Unknown being an anomaly altogether guitar wise and H.E.A.T II being a phenomenal return to the stage for Dave Dalone, Force Majeure is the first time I've really thought to myself, "Man, there could really be another guitar track here," which might be why they felt the need to compensate with the over-the-top production?

 

All in all, is it bad? No, I wouldn't go that far. But as far as H.E.A.T albums go, it falls extremely short of the ridiculously high standard they've set for themselves over the course of their career.

 

But hey, it's better than Into the Great Unknown.

[Kim_Hp]

 

Quote

Some starter notes, that have no doubt been mentioned here already, but I didn't read through the whole thread:
-Production is overdone. I don't know why, when Tobias Lindell had done such a masterful job mixing their last few records, he would do this?

It's a mystery alright, although how the band could okay this for release is an even bigger mystery. Also find it intresting that all of the reviews I've read have failed to mention the bizarre mixing and mastering of this record, which kinda makes you question their credibility as rock reviewers.
 

Quote

-For the first time, I feel like H.E.A.T doesn't know where they're going. On previous records, there was a distinct direction they were clearly striving for -- the original self-titled album and Freedom Rock were clearly products of their influences and the albums that followed with Erik Gronwall showed the growth and maturity of their playing, songwriting and the budding production skills of Jonah Tee. But I can't figure out if Force Majeure is meant to be a step forward or a step back. I wouldn't go so far as to say that any of the songs are bad, but there's not a single banger present here, as far as I'm concerned, which I was not expecting.

This I don't agree with at all. The thing that makes H.E.A.T the awesome band that they are is that they've never compromised with their sound or felt the urge to follow trends. We all know that they've could have gone the Dynazty route, making hard 'n' heavy records, that would probably have made them an even bigger and more popular band with the masses. Of course that's not what the fans want, and they know that. We want H.E.A.T to sound like H.E.A.T - and I think they've done a damn fine job of that on this record. I don't mind a bit of experimentation, like on Demon Eyes, as long as it's the exception and a temporarily deviation from the trademark sound.

As for bangers, I do think there are some here, but they're all ruined to some degree by the poor mixing job. No, they don't reach the awesomeness of let's say "Dangerous Ground" or "Rock Your Body" from the last album, but stuff like "Nationwide", "Not For Sale", "Hold Your Fire" and "Wings Of An Aeroplane" come pretty damn close.

Being the AOR fanatic I am, my main criticism with this band is always that I want them to be more AOR, like on the first 2-3 records. If you're looking for a direction, then this record is clearly a distinctive step away from that. They want to be pure melodic hard rock and not AOR, I think it's pretty clear. Truthfully it's been evident from "Tearing Down The Walls" and onward, but Force Majeure makes it even more evident that no change in that direction is very probable.

 

Quote

-I also feel like this is the first time you can really hear Eric Rivers's absence since he left the band after Tearing Down the Walls. Into the Great Unknown being an anomaly altogether guitar wise and H.E.A.T II being a phenomenal return to the stage for Dave Dalone, Force Majeure is the first time I've really thought to myself, "Man, there could really be another guitar track here," which might be why they felt the need to compensate with the over-the-top production?

If there's anything that this album doesn't lack, it's guitars. The guitars are so loud in the mix that Kenny´s vocals are drowning in them. The album is unlistenable with good headphones, you have to play it through speakers or earphones to make it somewhat listenable.

Other weird little things about this record: CD is released in Europe as a f*cking digipak for some reason. Who's beind this strange and unnecessary decision, the band or the label? Also, no writing credits. You have to go to Discogs or Spotify to find out who wrote these tunes.

Edited August 10, 2022 by Kim_Hp

[CMGiordano]

16 hours ago, Kim_Hp said:

This I don't agree with at all. The thing that makes H.E.A.T the awesome band that they are is that they've never compromised with their sound or felt the urge to follow trends. We all know that they've could have gone the Dynazty route, making hard 'n' heavy records, that would probably have made them an even bigger and more popular band with the masses. Of course that's not what the fans want, and they know that. We want H.E.A.T to sound like H.E.A.T - and I think they've done a damn fine job of that on this record. I don't mind a bit of experimentation, like on Demon Eyes, as long as it's the exception and a temporarily deviation from the trademark sound.

Sorry, that wasn't really what I meant. What I was really going for is that the songs on other albums seem to me to have more of a similar feel to them, like you can tell the songs for Freedom Rock were pretty much all written at the same time. I'm not saying that the songs on Force Majeure don't sound like H.E.A.T (even though I maintain it's not as good, based on the first few spins, as their previous efforts), but that they sound, to me, more "scatterbrained" than the selections from other records. That's not an easy thing to explain, but "direction" was the best word I could think of. 

 

16 hours ago, Kim_Hp said:

If there's anything that this album doesn't lack, it's guitars. The guitars are so loud in the mix that Kenny´s vocals are drowning in them. The album is unlistenable with good headphones, you have to play it through speakers or earphones to make it somewhat listenable.

Again, I probably could explained my point better. I wasn't advocating for more guitars so much, but for more variety in the guitars we get. One of the best things for me about the first two H.E.A.T albums (less so for Address the Nation, but still there) was the subtle trade-offs between Dalone and Rivers and the solos that switched between them (good examples of this include the guitar work on "Late Night Lady," "Danger Road" and "Tonight," off the top of my head). Simply because Dalone and Rivers played different set ups and had some variance in tone, you could tell the difference between their playing (though admittedly there were times where Eric Rivers was completely underutilized and overshadowed). Because of the the combination of this record's production and the guitars being all Dave, you don't have as much of that, and that's what I was trying to convey.

[auslander]

WTF is this, two dudes having an intelligent conversation about a band without relying on easy absolutes. I'm impressed.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

1 hour ago, auslander said:

WTF is this, two dudes having an intelligent conversation about a band without relying on easy absolutes. I'm impressed.

Such was commonplace around here years ago. 

[AlphaMale]

98/100? Come on Andrew!

98/100

H.E.A.T are back to prove they are the absolute gold standard when it comes to delivering instantly catchy, well-written melodic hard rock.

They’re also back with original singer Kenny Leckremo following the sad departure of mega-star vocalist Erik Gronwall who helmed the last 4 studio albums. The bad news was kept to a minimum with the announcement Kenny would return to add to his own legacy with the band, having fronted the first two records. I love it how these guys seem to manage to keep any line-up changes ‘within the family’.

So where does H.E.A.T go for their seventh studio outing? Back to the more AOR sound of the first two records or more commercial like Into The Great Unknown? Or do they keep the momentum of the cracking pace of the last album HEAT 2 and the harder hitting style of the ‘Erik years’?

While Kenny may bring a slightly different vocal style to the party, the songwriting and direction on ‘Force Majeure’ is very much a continuation of the last album and the ‘Address The Nation’/’Tearing Down The Walls’ style of the band. So this is basically H.E.A.T 3 – or H.E.A.T 2 Kenny-style. The same urgent tempo, the same big production and the same big melodies are all over this record.

It is nothing short of classic H.E.A.T through and through.

The format and structure of previous albums is also largely adhered to, with songs here reminding me of the band’s best moments on songs such as Point Of No Return, Breaking The Silence, It’s All About Tonight and Living On The Run.

Harder To Breathe dips into ‘Into The Great Unknown’ territory, but for the rest of the album I’m hearing ‘H.E.A.T 2’ meets ‘Address The Nation’.

Once again, it is killer song after killer song – this band can do (and has done) no wrong.

The three singles Back To The Rhythm, Nationwide and Hollywood all show what the band are capable of, but there’s another 8 classic rockers to look forward to.

Tainted Blood, Not For Sale, Hold Your Fire and Wings of An Aeroplane all deliver and Demon Eyes is the heaviest thing I’ve ever heard Kenny sing.

Only the dramatic and heavy ballad One Of Us slows the pace of the album at all, providing another big highlight. The big anthemic Paramount is something a little different for the guys but keeps in the spirit of the H.E.A.T sound.

With no surprise to any follower of the band, they have proved yet again, they are a magnificent outfit and haven’t let the change of vocalist slow them down in any way. Kenny sings his absolute heart out on this record – probably the best I’ve ever heard his voice.

11 new fantastic tracks to add to the band’s already magnificent career. The definition of force majeure is “irresistible compulsion or superior strength…” Yes, H.E.A.T are an indeed an irresistible compulsion with superior strength!

 

RockWombat

 

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[Tabe]

H.E.A.T, with "It's All About Tonight" are literally the band that turned me onto modern hard rock in general, and this site in particular.  So definitely a special place in my heart for this band.

Put me firmly in the "likes it a lot" camp on this album.  Is it perfect?  No.  Is it a 98/100?  LOL, no. But I like it a lot.

First, I don't hear all the same mix issues that some of you have mentioned.  Is it a little loud in parts?  Yeah, I can hear that.  But it certainly doesn't ruin the songs or anything.  But I don't hear Kenny buried in the mix or the lyrics being unintelligible or anything like that.  I've listened on a good pair of Sony headphones and my car stereo - no issues in either place.

Secondly, I definitely appreciate that they kept the harder sound from the Erik era.  The best songs here aren't as good as Erik's best ("Point of No Return", "Rise", and "Come Clean" probably being my top 3) but they are really good.  "Tainted Blood" is excellent (see below, however).  "Wings of an Aeroplane" is also really good.  "Hollywood", which I didn't love before, is growing on me even if I do still hate the chorus.  All in all, I really like the songs on offer here.

Thirdly, if I'm going to critique, it's Kenny's vocals.  For the most part, he does an excellent job.  When he's just singing the songs, he's great.  He's not Erik, but he does an excellent job.  However, on multiple songs, Kenny tries for vocal histrionics that sound strained and just don't work.  Like on "Tainted Blood", for example.  

Bottom line for me is that is a very good H.E.A.T album.  It's not "H.E.A.T II" or "Tearing Down the Walls" or "Live in London" but it's better than the first two albums or "Into the Great Unknown".

8/10.

[heavyharmonies]

Perhaps the reason I like it as much as I do is that my expectations were completely in the toilet after Erik's departure. I was expecting garbage... and it's not. I find it quite enjoyable, even if not Tearing Down the Walls level.

Unlike with the Journey album, I'm not hearing the production issues people are complaining about, at least not to that degree. It's a hot mix to be sure, but it's not impacting my listening or enjoyment as with Journey. I also wonder if again, the source/platform is making a difference. I'm listening to uncompressed FLAC straight from disc, not streaming or some bit-starved promo files.

[AlphaMale]

6 minutes ago, heavyharmonies said:

Perhaps the reason I like it as much as I do is that my expectations were completely in the toilet after Erik's departure. I was expecting garbage... and it's not. I find it quite enjoyable, even if not Tearing Down the Walls level.

Unlike with the Journey album, I'm not hearing the production issues people are complaining about, at least not to that degree. It's a hot mix to be sure, but it's not impacting my listening or enjoyment as with Journey. I also wonder if again, the source/platform is making a difference. I'm listening to uncompressed FLAC straight from disc, not streaming or some bit-starved promo files.

I don't get why you would even think that. I was thinking the music should be similar and Kenny's voice is powerful so not much change.

But HEAT II slays this. Easily.

[tts42572]

2 hours ago, heavyharmonies said:

Perhaps the reason I like it as much as I do is that my expectations were completely in the toilet after Erik's departure. I was expecting garbage... and it's not. I find it quite enjoyable, even if not Tearing Down the Walls level.

Unlike with the Journey album, I'm not hearing the production issues people are complaining about, at least not to that degree. It's a hot mix to be sure, but it's not impacting my listening or enjoyment as with Journey. I also wonder if again, the source/platform is making a difference. I'm listening to uncompressed FLAC straight from disc, not streaming or some bit-starved promo files.

I'm with you and think it might be similar for me.

I always loved H.E.A.T with Erik and was pretty much a Kenny basher as I wasn't a fan of those first 2 albums at all.  I had very low expectations and really didn't think I'd care much for new music with Kenny. 

Anyways, I've slowly come around on Kenny as the singles were released and I'm enjoying the new album.  Yeah, it's not exciting me quite as much as the Gronwall albums did but Kenny sounds excellent to my ears and I'm having no issues with sound or production.  Just sounds like some good melodic hard rock to me.

[sirlemonhead]

16 hours ago, heavyharmonies said:

Perhaps the reason I like it as much as I do is that my expectations were completely in the toilet after Erik's departure. I was expecting garbage... and it's not. I find it quite enjoyable, even if not Tearing Down the Walls level.

Unlike with the Journey album, I'm not hearing the production issues people are complaining about, at least not to that degree. It's a hot mix to be sure, but it's not impacting my listening or enjoyment as with Journey. I also wonder if again, the source/platform is making a difference. I'm listening to uncompressed FLAC straight from disc, not streaming or some bit-starved promo files.

Bitrate isn't going to affect the brickwalling at all. I've got uncompressed FLAC too but I'm listening on good headphones rather than in a car or on a phone so it's probably to do with that.

[AlphaMale]

FLAC here too and it sounds terrible. 

[melodicrock]

On 8/5/2022 at 6:48 PM, Darkstone said:

We're still waiting for Andrew to tell us what "H.E.A.T." stands for BTW.

LOL

[auslander]

On 8/5/2022 at 6:48 PM, Darkstone said:

We're still waiting for Andrew to tell us what "H.E.A.T." stands for BTW.

Heat's. Erik. Albums're. Top

Edited August 22, 2022 by auslander

[Tabe]

On 8/5/2022 at 1:48 AM, Darkstone said:

We're still waiting for Andrew to tell us what "H.E.A.T." stands for BTW.

I'd settle for knowing why there's no period after the T in the logo.

[Glen]

it currently stands for 

having. eagerly. another. try

(but failing dismally)

 

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I thought it was H.e.a.t Eats Ass Today. 

Yes, there's an acronym within the acronym. 

;}

[CMGiordano]

You know, I once won a contest on their Facebook page for stating that H.E.A.T stands for "Hump Everyone Around Town."

 

I never got the signed poster they said was supposed to be the prize, though. 

[Darkstone]

13 hours ago, Tabe said:

I'd settle for knowing why there's no period after the T in the logo.

Interesting point.

I didn't notice that before.

[AlphaMale]

15 hours ago, Tabe said:

I'd settle for knowing why there's no period after the T in the logo.

Always wondered that myself.

[CureTheSane]

19 hours ago, Darkstone said:

Interesting point.

I didn't notice that before.

Based on the replies I got, nobody knows...

[CureTheSane]

Been busy so a bit late to the party, but yo me this new HEAT is getting very close to progressive stuff...

[Geoff]

22 hours ago, CureTheSane said:

Been busy so a bit late to the party, but yo me this new HEAT is getting very close to progressive stuff...

[CureTheSane]

2 hours ago, Geoff said:

Sorry, let me rephrase that.

Been busy so a bit late to the party, but yo me this new HEAT is getting very close to progressive stuff...
Australia Sucks.

[Geoff]

13 minutes ago, CureTheSane said:

Sorry, let me rephrase that.

Been busy so a bit late to the party, but yo me this new HEAT is getting very close to progressive stuff...
Australia Sucks.

Yes, Australia is fucked. I don't want to resurrect the thread but I've been so tempted this week. Did you know in this perfect country of yours, unvaccinated teachers are allowed to go back to work, but they will be punished (words used) for being unvaccinated in that they will be paid less than their vaccinated counterparts. In Australia. Your perfect Australia is doing this. But let us not question, just obey. 

And I don't know what prog you are listening to, but whatever you think of this album, I don't understand how this is any closer to prog than any of their other albums, ever. Do you mean that power metal shit that some bands do? 'Cause there's faint merit in that... just not seeing any hint of prog at all in HEAT, though, personally. 

Oh, and fuck Australia. Bunch of covid fearing cunts. 

As you were.