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Creye: II

Melodic Hard Rock/AOR

5.0/5.0

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Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 13.01.2021 | Released: 22.01.2021

Sweden's Creye hit the ground at sprinting speed with their self-titled debut album in 2018. Formed by guitarist Andreas Gullstrand with a desire to revive classic AOR melodic hard rock, the recording was a huge success for the band, resulting in tours across England and their native Sweden. Now, Creye returns with their second effort, simply titled II and features new vocalist August Rauer and keyboardist Joel Selsfors who joined the band shortly after the first album.

Creye

Suffice to say, Creye's sophomore effort is another tour-de-force of Eighties-inspired melodic hard rock, both arena ready and radio-friendly. (Except the arenas are gone and radio stations which are friendly to contemporary classic rock don't exist.) All the things you want from classic rock are here: solid song melody, rock rhythm and groove, strong vocals and vocal harmony, memorable refrains, and soaring guitar solos. Current vocalist August Rauer is solid addition to the band, offering strong, melodic, and passionate vocals.

Sampling the album, you'll find Gullstrand's strong riffs punch the pedal for the rockers Carry On, Face To Face, and Find A Reason. Though the latter can be tempered by voice and synths. This motif is also found within the anthems Can't Stop What We Started and Lost Without You, which feature catchy choruses and brilliant solos. Let The World Know offers a benign vocal and synth start, but quickly develops into faster AOR rock with dense riffs and swollen keyboards. Similar is the rising rocker The Greatest which moves steady with voice over riffs, rhythm section, and subtle synth embellishment before a brisk and heavy guitar solo erupts. Solid stuff.

Essentially, Creye's II is packed with a full load of catchy, entertaining, and inspiring AOR melodic hard rock songs. Fans who love this classic genre will not want to miss this album. (Start your best of 2021 with this album.) Easily recommended.

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

Creye's II is packed with a full load of catchy, entertaining, and inspiring AOR melodic hard rock songs. Fans who love this classic genre will not want to miss this album. Easily recommended.

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Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]

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