REMEDY LANE

Having read about this album I was really excited when I put it on for the first time. It did not sound the way I had imagined but that's alright. Prog albums rarely do. Isn't that the whole idea of prog, not sounding like anything you'd expect? Well, turned out to be a hard one to review. Really it is. I am no stranger to heavy metal, I was sort of raised on it. It is not that. It is rather the fact that Gildenlöw is extremely talented, obviously, but I do not agree with his musical vision wholeheartedly.

I will say this, the music found on Remedy lane really is a real concoction of styles. It is though Gildenlöw has gathered together everything (or nearly) from the commercial side of hard rock to the more extreme, almost death-y, metal. That is a feat and as such I applaud him. But do I think it is a success? Well, maybe not in my book and maybe not to the full extent intended. I cannot embrace the album as muych as I'd like to. The ambition and talent is unquestioned but I am simply not that enchanted. And in that lies the difficulty.

There are tracks I really enjoy. The trio of "Rope ends", "Chain sling" and "Dryad of the woods" are very enjoyable indeed. The folky side of "Dryad..." is quite beautiful and "Rope ends" is certainly a multifacetetted piece of music, well worth exploring.

I do not suggest that the other tracks aren't enjoyable, as a whole or in bits, but there are elements I disagree with. There is a side of this album that makes me uneasy and not in a good way. It is hard to describe but I hear elements of music I quiver about, like contemporary pop-metal of sorts. Since I cannot digest those bits I find it hard to love this album. It is a good album, a brilliant one if I was to clear the plate from all those elements I find hard to swallow.

All in all, Remedy lane is a good album. Full of talent and intent. It just don't agree with me. Sorry.