It is again Sweden that offers us a new album of melodic hard rock with this time the formation 'Degreed' which releases its sixth album 'Are You Ready' after 'Lost Generation' in 2019 and it's still 'Frontiers' which promotes the Swedes. The particularity of 'Degreed' is to have a fairly wide range of styles with a regular constant to lay melodic lines always very effective which make each title a hit. However we can say that with 'Are You Ready', the compositions alternate heavy metal and melodic hard rock: after a first listening, I had the impression of returning to the 80s with 'Def Leppard' for the titles 'Radio' or the eponymous title of the album and 'Feed the Lie' gives off a fabulous energy, but the melodic jewels less heavy and more in tune with bands like their compatriots 'Eclipse' or 'Palace' or 'HEAT' with titles like 'Into The Fire' (see the video below above), 'Higher', 'Burning' and its addictive chorus, 'Falling Down' (watch the video here) or even 'Lost in paradise' or 'We Will Win' are in the majority. We will also not miss the ballad 'Turn Back' which is to be added to the best ballads of melodic hard rock. In short, Sweden shows once again that they remain one of the best nations in the field of melodic hard rock and this 'Are You Ready' from 'Degree' is added to the list of the best albums of rock, hard rock and melodic metal from this beginning of 2022 with in my last reviews 'Crystal Ball', 'Kissin' Dynamite', 'Edge Of Forever' or 'Autumn's Child'... | |
