The AOR Heaven record label have some decent bands on their roster, and they’ve now added another one, I just love the guitar tone on this album, which sets the standard throughout.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Rockett Love
ALBUM: Grab The Rocket
LABEL: AOR Heaven
SERIAL: AORH00149
YEAR: 2017
SPONSOR: Germusica
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Daniel Samuelsson – vocals * Stefan Westerlund – guitar * Gustaf Eklund – guitar * Dennis Vestman – bass * Fredrik Ahlin – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Never Surrender * 02 One Of These Days * 03 Rocket Love * 04 What Ever You Say * 05 We Will Be Heroes * 06 Rev It Up * 07 Shining Light * 08 Love And Money * 09 Line Of Sight * 10 Fall On Your Knees * 11 Heart Of Stone
RATING: 90/100
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
Another addition to the Swedish melodic rock scene are Rockett Love. These guys have been in formation since 2015, with Samuelsson and Westerlund being the two originators.
Fast forward a few months, the band takes shape, four tracks are recorded, noted producer Beau Hill gets involved, the band hook up with Grand Design to play a joint gig, and things start taking off, like a Rocket! A deal with AOR Heaven culminates with a full-length release in April 2017. ‘Grab The Rocket’ is that album.
The Songs
I just love the guitar tone on this album, which sets the standard throughout. Samuelsson (to these ears at least) has this John Sykes happening. It’s not quite Blue Murder heavy, but some of the arranging takes a snippet out of the Blonde Bomber’s user manual.
The first three songs are kinda killer.. ‘Never Surrender’, ‘One Of These Days’ and the excellent ‘Rocket Love’ are all convincing, already these are on repeat play. We move into the next trio. The catchy as hell ‘Whatever You Say’, the Rocket boyz anthem ‘We Will Be Heroes’ and the jet-fuelled rocker ‘Rev It Up’ take it up a notch.
Six tracks in, and I’m loving it. ‘Shining Light’ is where you can hear that Sykes vibe ‘shining’ through, from the vocals through to the overall style. Copycat? I think so. ‘Love And Money’ is kinda cool too, in a Harem Scarem style, while ‘Line Of Sight’ operates at a slightly heavier level, the comparison can also be made to the Canadian legends.
The final pairing of ‘Fall On Your Knees’ and ‘Heart Of Stone’ are solid enough, but probably don’t deliver the same excitement as the first half of the album, but that guitar tone for the latter track just smokes..
In Summary
The AOR Heaven record label have some decent bands on their roster, and they’ve now added another one. When a guy like Beau Hill gets involved, you know this is better than most. That guy has got a great set of ears, so he can tell the difference between treasure and trash. Certainly one of the better finds of the year. Keep it comin’ Sweden.
Rockett Love on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
