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Oxygen: Final Warning

AOR/Melodic Rock

4.0/5.0

Website (Label)
Escape Music
by Craig Hartranft,  06.04.2012

The history of Oxygen revolves around its principal and lead singer Tony Niva. His career dates to the late Eighties beginning as a metal singer. Over the years he's done work with some notable Scandi bands like Swedish Erotica, Lion's Share, and Axia, among others. His namesake band NIVA released an album No Capitulation in Japan in 1994. Now Niva has returned with his creation Oxygen, a turn to more AOR melodic rock.

This debut is oddly titled Final Warning, as if the end of Oxygen is near even before they get started. Let's hope not. Niva is a fine melodic rock singer: strong, balanced, with good range. The songs here typical AOR melodic rock fare, but by this I don't mean average. Niva and company offer arrangements of great melody, harmony and hooks from large choruses and guitar solos. Oxygen also works at efficiency, most songs come in around three minutes, perfect radio ready material. Bring Back the Joy and the very friendly Best Days of Our Lives are solid examples.

Of course, ballads are AOR staples, and I Remember and You are soaring stuff. That latter song has a ring of familiarity to it; you may find yourself pondering whether you've heard that sound before. Quizzical, however, is one tune: what exactly is a 'janitor of love' in the song of the same name.

To get Eighties AOR melodic rock takes some skill, and Oxygen, fronted by vocalist Tony Niva, gets it rights. Final Warning is a solid start and a good foundation for future material. Easily recommended.

To get Eighties AOR melodic rock takes some skill, and Oxygen, fronted by vocalist Tony Niva, gets it rights. Final Warning is a solid start and a good foundation for future material.

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The Powell Payne project, created in 2022 is the collaboration of Mark "Penfold Powell (ex-drummer of Psycho Kiss) and Adam Payne (former vocalist of Airrace). With guitarist Adam Davies and keyboard player ... [ Read More ]