(GAELERI) – Gates Of Rome (CD)

Heldingborg based melodic hard rockers (gaeleri) was formed under the name Shooting Gallery back in 1992, shortened the name to the phonetic (gaeleri) and made their debut back in 1996, followed by Still Here in 1999 and A Brighter Day in 2002. The first two were classic melodic hard rock with hints of bands like Whitesnake and Zeppelin, while the last one was very commercial and a far cry from the first two. The band disappeared, but suddenly a new album has now seen the light of day. To my great joy I find the band has returned to their early, heavier sound again. The album kicks off with the two kick ass rockers “Ready Or Not” and “Queen Of Time”, followed by the more mainstream AOR number “Wannabe”. The title track puts the balls back in place with its chunky rhythm and cool rocking, but still melodic, vibe.”Let Your Love Bleed” opens with rifforama in the vein of 1987 Whitesnake, with a cool bluesy verse and singer Anders Vidhav sounding quite reminiscent of Stefan Berggren (Company Of Snakes, Snakes In Paradise etc). Good stuff, indeed! The mix, by Anders “Theo” Theander is ambient and quite analogue sounding. If you’re into what Swedish colleagues Angeline and Colorstone are doing, check this bunch out as well! Great melodic, guitar-based hard rock!

Janne Stark

Country: Sweden

Year: 2014
Label: TBM Records