LAND OF BROKEN HEARTS

Royl Hunt's first album is quite different from their lattter day effords. Certainly it will take by surprise those fans who heard the band from Paradoxx onwards. The sound here is more on the melodious hard rock side, with little metal or prog influences. Still many of the group classics are here, like their first hit, Running Wild, Stranded and Flight. The production is surprisingly good for such an obscure and unknown act to emerge from Denmark. Russian keboards player, occasional guitarrsit and songwriter Andre Andersen proves he have the knack to write simple, catchy rock songs with a european twist and classical music influences here and there. Singer Henrik Brockmann has a raspy voice that works fine here. I still think that D C Cooper and John West are much more versatile and better singers, but then the music had changed and the vocal approach had to follow.

Unlike Epilogue, their second CD (and last with Brockmann on vocals) this one does not have a single track that hints what Royal Hunt would become in a few years. Looking back, maybe The title track can be seen as a blueprint for the future direction, but that is debatable. Anyway, although I really prefer the newer material, I must say I like this CD. If you like short, good, straight rock songs with a great melodic sense and good arrangements, it is worth a listen