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"Imperium remains true to form with "Never Surrender", an elegantly old-fashioned AOR album."
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3/5
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Three years ago, Mika Brushane and his Imperium project delighted AOR fans with "Heaven Or Hell", an album of melodic sweetness, luminous guitars and 80s synth sounds. The drummer-songwriter, who specializes in bringing together talented singers and guitarists, is now back at it again, with a fourth album with an equally unoriginal title, "Never Surrender".
This time around, the Finnish band has opted to reduce the number of singers, with only two working on this new production. However, opting for Robbie LaBlanc (Find Me, Blanc Faces and T3nors) and Michael Bormann (Silent Force, ex-Jaded Heart and ex-Bloodbound) is a wise choice for songs where melody is favoured. As for the guitarists this time around, Brushane has also concentrated its choice by calling back only Mikey K. Nilsson (Alyson Avenue) and Stefano Lionetti (Lionville).
When it comes to AOR, especially if it's 80's-tinged as here, don't expect to discover innovative material. Certain fundamentals take the form of shackles in which the authors sometimes don't mind feeling cramped, the codes imposed corresponding exactly to the music they like and wish to propose. That's why Imperium's "Never Surrender" is aimed at those who like ingeniously appealing melodies, antediluvian synths and romantic ambiences. For the others, at most, they will press play again for three tracks emerging from the bulk with the eponymous 'I Still Believe' and 'You Will Never Take Me Down'.
Elegantly old-fashioned, with occasional hints of Harem Scarem, "Never Surrender" is sure to find its audience. Its conceptual bias, which we're obliged to consider outdated, and its lack of variation in the rhythm of the movements that make it up, will handicap any appeal it might have beyond the boundaries to which it has confined itself. - Official website
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TRACK LISTING:
01. The One
 02. Never Surrender
03. Together Forever
04. I Still Believe
05. Never Say Never
06. Break The Spell
07. The Dream
08. Out Of This World
09. You Will Never Take Me Down
10. Greatest Desire
LINEUP:
Michael Bormann: Chant
Mika Brushane: Guitares / Claviers / Batterie
Mikey K. Nilsson: Guitares
Robbie LaBlanc: Chant
Stefano Lionetti: Guitares
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STAFF:
3/5 (2 view(s))
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