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April 2024

• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
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March 2024

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January 2024

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[ More Music Reviews ]

White Widdow: Victory

AOR Melodic Rock

3.0/5.0

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AOR Heaven Records
Released: 19.10.2018
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 24.10.2018

I've wondered what happened to these guys. My last experience with Melbourne's White Widdow was their 2010 self-titled debut, which received some praise from former Dangerdog Music Reviews reviewer Kees-Jan Stel. But that's eight years ago and the band has since released three more albums, none of which have reached my desk. But their latest effort, Victory, has arrived for my listening appreciation.

White Widdow

Yet that appreciation comes with both some interest and disappointment. Mostly, White Widdow plays AOR melodic rock straight out of the Eighties. Their music has the usual AOR suspects: melodic vocal and guitar harmony, efficient rock rhythm and groove, bright guitar solos, and a large synth presence. All these things are wrapped up in catchy melodies and memorable refrains. That's all good. Yet, while these are fine attributes, my dilemma with Victory was a simple one: most everything you hear sounds like you've heard it all before. It's not that I was expecting some overtly novel in their music, but I certainly wasn't expecting something redundant either. Moreover, I found both the music and its presentation to be listless, lacking energy and enthusiasm. Honestly, I can't point to a single song that reached out and grabbed my interest. It's not that White Widdow can't create entertaining AOR melodic rock; obviously they can and have in the past. But with Victory, they seem to be stuck in the twin ruts of redundancy and complacency. But fans may feel differently.

Northward: Northward

Modern Heavy Metal Rock

4.0/5.0

The roots of Northward go back more than a decade, when Nightwish vocalist Floor Jansen and Pagan's Mind guitarist Jorn Viggo Lofstad joined to do cover songs at a ... [ Read More ]

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

It's not that White Widdow can't create entertaining AOR melodic rock; obviously they can and have in the past. But with Victory, they seem to be stuck in the twin ruts of redundancy and complacency. But fans may feel differently.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]