Wildness return for album #2, but I’m not feeling the same thrill as I did for their 2017 debut.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Wildness
ALBUM: Ultimate Demise
LABEL: AOR Heaven
SERIAL: AORH00217
YEAR: 2020
SPONSOR: Germusica
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Sweden
LINEUP: Erik Modin – drums, production * Adam Holmstrom – guitars * Pontus Skold – guitars * Marcus Sjösund – bass * Erik Forsberg – vocals
TRACK LISTING: 01 Call Of The Wild * 02 Die Young * 03 Nowhere Land * 04 Cold Words * 05 Renegades Of Love * 06 Falling Into Pieces * 07 Burning It Down * 08 My Hideaway * 09 Denial * 10 Borderline * 11 The Ultimate Demise
RATING: 80/100
WEBLINKS: FB Page
Background
Back at the tail-end of 2017, a new Swedish band called Wildness arrived on the scene with a fantastic debut album which duly got a bit of airplay and a mention in my 2017 Top 10 list. The following year was kept busy on the road supporting many top artists.
In mid-late 2019 Wildness reconvened to the studio but unfortunately lost singer Gabriel Lindmark due to (you guessed it) musical differences. Blazon Stone singer Eric Forsberg was recruited in early 2020 and now the band was in the position to complete album #2: ‘Ultimate Demise’. Let’s give it a whirl.
The Songs
The album kicks off with the instrumental prelude ‘Call Of The Wild’ which segues directly into the power-packed anthem ‘Die Young’, and at this early stage, you can hear Forsberg’s vocals. Noticeably different than former singer Gabriel Lindmark.
‘Nowhere Land’ typifies the modern Scandi melodic rock template. You’ve heard it on many other similar albums in the last few years. Wildness hit their straps on ‘Cold Words’, with great riff-laden guitar work. This is more like it. The supporting synth work embellishes this track admirably.
Like the racy car on the album cover, ‘Renegades Of Love’ picks up the pace with the mere wave of the metallic wand, the guitar handwork increasing to triple or quadruple strumming speed. Wildness then slows it down for the mid-paced ‘Falling Into Pieces’, an OK tune but not setting any hearts on fire either.
‘Burning It Down’ returns to the Wildness template of old and here they sound like Dynazty before they converted into a full-on HM band. ‘My Hideaway’ much like ‘Falling Into Pieces’ heard earlier is an adequate track but missing the knock-out punches required for a song like this.
‘Denial’ I can take or leave it, whereas the acoustic/electric hybrid ‘Borderline’ was a nice change-up moment. Good harmony vocals too. ‘The Ultimate Demise’ finishes up the album. It’s a ballad (not a power ballad), the mostly piano-driven work dominates from the outset.
In Summary
Listening to this, I didn’t get the same thrills as I did from the Wildness debut. These songs didn’t grab me like ‘Collide’ and ‘Your Last Romance’ did previously. Maybe the three-year hiatus has taken the edge off Wildness but I’m sure there is plenty of time to get back into the groove. Let’s hope so because this band still has a lot of promise.
Video
Cold Words
