This demo from Swedish metallers Black Rose does have a solid metal sound to it, early 80’s metal with solid guitar riff’s, punchy bass lines and plenty of variation.
Written by: veneto
ARTIST: Black Rose (Sweden)
ALBUM: 99 Promo CD [ep]
LABEL: Promo
YEAR: 1999
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Johan Spinord – vocals * Anders Haga – bass * Ola Carlsson – guitars, vocals * Peter Haga – drums * Hakan Karlstrom – backing vocals * Magnus Vesterlund – backing vocals
TRACK LISTING: 01 Night And Day * 02 Always Tomorrow * 03 In Your Eyes
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
The band Black Rose originate from Fagersta in Sweden a little place with 13 000 inhabitants, about 180 kilometers north west from Stockholm, a five-piece power rock team that originally formed in 1990. I must admit that when I see the word ‘rose’ used in rock music I immediately think of that awful song by Poison or that idiot Axel Rose.
Thankfully Black Rose have very little in common with either. This demo has a solid metal sound to it, back to quality early 80’s metal with solid guitar riff’s, punchy bass lines and plenty of variation. But that’s not to say it’s just good old fashioned heavy metal.
The Songs
For a three track promo there is quite a bit of scope on show, the first track is AOR’ish while the other two tracks have a lot in common with early Iron Maiden of the ‘Killers’ era. The tight punching tracks mixed with good melody also reminded me of the bands like Pretty Maids, Samson and Yngwie Malmsteen.
The addition of keyboards and solid drumming make for a very tight sound, and moves Black Rose beyond the 80’s metal sound and starts to highlight some definite AOR aspirations. Time and key changes show the potential of this band as a song writing force that is happy with being heavy and fast, as well as being melodic and passionate.
In Summary
A good starting point, and I look forward to seeing what Black Rose could produce in a full album; a ballad or two and a few more adventurous tracks are well within their reach. So c’mon guys, let’s see what you can do. Best of luck.
