Metalite are sometimes pitched in with the symphonic metal crowd, yet this Swedish outfit are more prone to delivering melodic rock with a pulsating electronic beat of a hook, and if anything, they’re at their best on this their latest release, and they come on like Abba with a strong bad-attitude.
Metalite, comprising guitarists Edwin Prember and Robert Örnesved, bass player and drummer Lea Larsson, and vocalist Erica Ohlsson who’s been with them since 2019, certainly aren’t averse to traversing the sci-fi thematic route. On this, their latest album, Expedition One, they deliver a story set in 2055AD, over the course of sixteen interlinked songs.
Produced by Premberg, and as with previous records mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen, whether it’s them behind the keyboarding support is never clear, but such are all to the fore on record, with tapes or the equivalent being used live as was evidenced on their recent UK tour.
Robotically the words “Calling System Control” are repeated, a synthesised beat takes hold like the opening segment of some TV thriller series, moving aside as metallic guitar and pounding drums preside as we’re away with the title track opening the album; “Now it’s time for another ride” calls out Ohlsson, her double tracked voice echoing that two-singers from Abba comparison right from the start. As the song roars forth, we’re told of a journey through space about to take place. It rocks, is impassioned and catchy, but there’s this pip-popping 70’s styled synth line that can’t help but remind me of Hot Gossip’s ‘I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper’. Possibly even more so in that vein initially is ‘Aurora’, though it’s not long before hefty drum beats lead that towards a lite-trash metal workout with euphorically delivered vocals about the cosmic dance that’s imminent.
The drama intensifies with the heavy ‘CtrIAltDel’, speeds up with ‘Cyberdome’, then we’re into ‘Blazing Skies’ where symphonic electronica and power metal join forces admirably, and wherein it’s pointed out earth’s blighted and this mission to the stars is humanity’s probable only hope of survival.
‘Outer Worlds’ spins, thrusts, and rocks forward in a semi-ominous manner outlining Expedition 1’s search for a suitable new place to call home, then the glorious ‘New Generation’ acts as a rallying call for the young to step up to the plate, prevent further environmental disasters and too readily accepted aggressive norms. It’s suitably thrilling as a mainstream Euro-anthem should we ever overcome the current world madness, though I do worry if our young are too beholden to the addictions of social media to take on that mantle the way they need to.
Story-wise, ‘In My Dreams’ finds our rocket ship in a distant galaxy, cruising towards hopeful success, as delivered in fine power ballad form, and serving as temporary sidestep to the blistering shifting rock dynamics of ‘’Disciples Of The Stars’, where Ohlsson belts out loud, proud and very much in pitch perfect tones the overall effect like some superhero slugfest climax where the good guys bash the living daylights out the baddies. A tad slower, rocking and thematic celebratory number, ‘Free’ though ‘Legendary’ either gives the impression all’s not perfect yet or that they themselves will be remembered, then ‘Paradise’ indicates the journey’s not quite over yet and is thematically comparable to ‘Outer Worlds’ but with the engines on full thrust, while ‘Sanctum Of Light’ continues at a gallop towards what’s perceived as success with the instrumental ‘Utopia’ – Tinted with blues-textured echoed licks it builds to a charismatic wailing frenzy, in the manner of such guitar exponents as Joe Satriani. But then, it’s worth mentioning the guitar solos on this record do tend to be well-crafted, neo-classical sometimes with well-framed shredding work elsewhere.
‘Take My Hand’ and ‘Hurricane’ are bonus tracks. The former returns us to more update drama rock, and while I know I shouldn’t be making comparisons to Buck Fuzz’s ‘The Land Of Make Believe’ with a rock up its jacksie, I am; and, hey, didn’t King Crimson’s Peter Sinfield write the lyrics to that one. ‘Hurricane’ is a dizzy synth rock anthem about overcoming any future problems set before you. If pitched as part of the story, they’re best placed somewhere in the middle.
Hardly original as sci-fi tales go, its concept remain admirable, and it’s very much an album to listen to throughout, though possibly as you’re doing something else around the house, simply because there are a lot of songs here, and some tend to cover similar ground. Heard as-a-whole the hope, drive and drama of the rock suite is felt, and that way you needn’t intellectualise its lyrical story values. Despite which ‘Blazing Skies’, ‘In My Dreams’, and ‘Disciples Of The Stars’ truly stand out among the killer-not-filler tracks here.
- Reviewed by Paul H Birch.
- Expedition One is available now via AFM Records (from here).
- Official Website
Track List:
- Expedition One
- Aurora
- CtrIAltDel
- Cyberdome
- Blazing Skies
- Outer Worlds
- New Generation
- In My Dreams
- Disciples Of The Stars
- Free
- Legendary
- Paradise
- Sanctum Of Light
- Utopia
- Take My Hand
- Hurricane
