Who would’ve thought that this 80’s Swedish AOR outfit Treat could deliver the goods in 2010 with panache and style?
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Treat
ALBUM: Coup De Grace
LABEL: Frontiers
SERIAL: FRCD 453
YEAR: 2010
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Robert Ernlund – lead vocals * Anders Wikstrom – guitars, backing vocals * Patrick Appelgren – keyboards, guitars, backing vocals * Nalle Pahlsson – bass, backing vocals * Jamie Borger – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Prelude – Coup De Grace * 02 The War Is Over * 03 All In * 04 Paper Tiger * 05 Roar * 06 A Life To Die For * 07 Tangled Up * 08 Skies Of Mongolia * 09 Heaven Can Wait * 10 I’m Not Runnin’ * 11 No Way Without You * 12 We Own The Night * 13 All For Love * 14 Breathless
RATING: 95/100
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
Well, most of you would’ve heard the sound samples of this album a few weeks now. Who would’ve thought that this 80’s Swedish AOR outfit Treat could deliver the goods in 2010 with panache and style? Not me that’s for sure, but with ‘Coup De Grace’, this simply is essential AOR listening for the masses (ok, minority masses).
With Treat’s resurrection, surely there must be more Swedish reunions in the wings? Reading the press release, it seems the Treat boys got bored in their retirement, and pestered each other to get back into the action. Reformed as far back as 2006, their reunion has been low key, but now they’ve got a winner on their hands. A fantastic album from start to finish.
The Songs
The album opens with a war-theme montage called ‘Prelude – Coup De Grace’. It’s a poignant reminder of the issues of today, the audio montage a combination of flashpoints in recent human history. We segue into ‘The War Is Over’ which is a great scene setter for the rest of the album. It’s punchy, coupled with fluid bass lines, this track surges with energy, the intensity fuelled by the subject matter and lyrics. ‘All In’ reminds us of Treat’s material on earlier albums, anthemic, big choruses and thick layers.
‘Paper Tiger’ was one of the earlier samples, and is familiar now, with it’s guitar/keyboard interplay and low end bass lines. ‘A Life To Die For’ is a must-listen ballad, and blows anything delivered from the Frontiers roster in recent times, clear out of the water. ‘Skies Of Mongolia’ is a fascinating and exotic listen, prog metal like guitars, airy synths and a beefy bottom end. The vocals/lyrics are pretty good. In fact overall, Robert Ernlund sounds utterly incredible, remembering at one point during Treat’s earlier days where Ernlund had voice problems.
‘No Way Without You’ chugs away in unrestrained fashion, very 80’s and topped by a winning chorus, not unlike Harem Scarem in parts. ‘We Own The Night’ is simply killer AOR, a beautiful melodic drift, ebb/flow, again with a chorus from the heavens. ‘All For Love’ has a very American flavour to it, while the closer ‘Breathless’ signs off in a positive state. Fourteen tracks, 56 minutes running time. Excellent.
In Summary
The band can be forgiven for not attempting to rehash ‘The Pleasure Principle’ or ‘Dreamhunter’. They had nothing to prove, as both of those efforts are simply classics with 1989’s ‘Organised Crime’ not far behind. In 2010, perhaps a new chapter in the Treat discography is being written? Judging by the quality of the material on ‘Coup De Grace’, this is a top tenner for the year, easy as. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know what to do next.
Video
Entire Album (Select Tracks)
