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Artist: Xorigin |
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Formed back in 1999 under the Orange Crush moniker in Los
Angeles while studying at the Musicians Institute, the seeds of the
Melodic Rock sensation Xorigin were planted by Daniel Palmqvist
and Johannes Stole. Although
when the pair returned to their native countries Orange
Crush was put on the back burner, these two musicians remained good friends, collaborating
together on several occasions in between other projects. Now in 2011
they are united once more with one aim, to bring a new name to the lips
to the Melodic Rock faithful and that name is Xorigin. The bands self-titled debut release is melody rich rock with
just a pinch of prog thrown in the mix for good measure, the result of
which is a
mixture of the likes of Giant, Toto, Foreigner and Yes, but with its own
identity. The pair seem to capture the best of those bands mentioned
and enhance the sound for the modern era, with great songs like the
opener ‘Can't Keep Running’, a great start to the album. This rocker
really sets the bar high for the remainder of the album, but this is just
the beginning of what is a stunning album. The high quality Melodic Rock just keeps on coming with ‘Crying For You’ and ‘Blink Of An Eye’, with Johannes Stole showing his prowess as a stirring vocalist. Then there’s the rockier moments like ‘Too Late’, where Palmqvist comes into his own as a multi talented musician, all the while producer and drummer Daniel Flores lays down a solid back beat. For a real touch of 80’ nostalgia with a modern spin then
‘Gina’ ticks so many boxes, you can really hear the Toto and Yes influences
running through this one right from the off, and this feeling is continued with
the excellent ‘This Is It’, with just a hint of more keyboards this
time. The pure melodic bliss continues with ‘The One Fore Me’,
the stunning rocker ‘Said And Done’ and the equally superb
‘Matters of The Heart’. It's back to the Yes influences with ‘What
Love Is All About’ before the album closes with one of my favourite
tracks off the album the excellent ‘Mend My Heart’, which wraps up a
great debut release and in a year where the quality and quantity of
Melodic and Hard Rock albums has been at its very highest for some years, this
album ranks up there with best of the year. I for one can't wait for the second
album. |
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Tracklisting: 1.
Cant Keep Running |
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