For almost seven years now, the Swedes of 'Metalite' have been giving us their melodic metal tinged with electronic sounds and, after 'Heroes In Time' in 2017, 'Biomechanicals' in 2019 and 'A Virtual World' in 2021, it's the turn of 'Expedition One' to see the light of day. We once again embark on the 'Metalite' ship with its melodies which could have been hits in the 80s in a much calmer register because it is still an uninterrupted series of unifying choruses which we want to resume with ' Erica Ohlsson'. From the outset, with the title song, the tone is set and this album is copious to say the least since 16 tracks are offered to us and even the last two tracks presented as bonuses do not have to be ashamed of the other compositions, the first 'Take My Hand' even benefiting from a single (see the video above). To avoid going from title to title, I will cite the few titles that hooked me the most on first listen: in a catchy and energetic style, the 'Aurora' (see the video here), 'Blazing Skies' (see the video here), 'Disciples of the Stars', 'Free', 'Paradise' and finally 'Take My Hand' already mentioned above have all the ingredients for immediate listening. In a quieter register, the mid-tempo 'New Generation' (see the video here) and, to a lesser extent, 'Sanctum of Light' are also to be consumed without moderation and the ballad of the album, 'In My Dreams', provides a welcome mid-album break. We can also mention the instrumental piece 'Utopia', which is quite different from the rest, featuring a 'Floydian' guitar solo which brings a touch of diversity.
In summary, even if Swedes from 'Metalite' are not going to revolutionize melodic metal and offer us a fairly linear album, they continue their adventure with very accessible compositions which could be a good entry point for all those and those who want to discover metal because, everything has again been implemented in this 'Expedition One' to offer us direct and effective melodies at first listen... | |
