http://www.prettiesforyou.de

From Sweden we have had a lot of great music lately and "Cloudscape" can be added to that list. Build on the ruins of "Doctor Weird", who gained a lot of success in the south of Sweden. Just enough to get them perform on the annual 'Sweden Rock' festival. After they released their first demo in 2003 the band pulled a lot attention from the record companies, because the demo gained a lot of positive reaction from magazines and webzines. 2004 was the year the finally start recording their debut album which will be released through METAL HEAVEN end of January 2005.

The style of "Cloudscape" can best be described as being a combination of a lot of bands from seventies and eighties. Does bands like Yes, Rush, Deep Purple, Dream Theater and Symphony X ring a bell? Mix them in a blender a taste the music of "Cloudscape". Hardrock with Symphonic and Progressive elements brought to you by this 5 piece band. Michael Andersson (vocals), Björn Eliasson (guitar), Patrik Svärd (guitar), Hans Persson (bass) and Roger Landin (drums).

Wonderful tracks like opening song "As The Light Leads The Way", "Aqua 275" with a typical 'Evergrey' guitar riff, "In These Walls" were Michael shows his vocal range or "The Presence Of Spirit" with the 'Tom Sawyer' opening tunes and heavy guitar riff drift out of the speakers to spoil your ears. When you're a fan of great guitar riffs and guitar solos, this album will surely give you an orgasm, for this album is filled with great guitar work. And although there's no one listed as being keyboard player on this band there are a lot of great keys to be heard. Last the people that were responsible for the production of this album were Anders 'Theo' Theander (Pain Of Salvation, Last Tribe, etc.) and Pontus Lindmark and I must say they did a pretty good job on this one, because all the instruments got their own place and brought forward in the right proportions. Again such a release at the beginning of the year that makes you curious of what the rest of 2005 will bring us.

Points 8.7 out of 10
(Jan.Coop)
 

http://www.rockreport.be/

Most of you will still remember how Georg Siegl’s METAL HEAVEN did well last year with the release of Finnish power metal outfit Altaria’s second album “Divinity”. The small quality-before-quantity sub label of AOR Heaven has now awoken to go for another strike. This time with the self-titled debut of Swedish melodic metal band Cloudscape.

An early mark of the band, known as Doctor Weird, had made a name for themselves in the south of Sweden, playing support gigs in the late nineties and appearing at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2000. Cloudscape in its current formation was only formed in 2001 though, when vocalist Micael Andersson, guitarists Björn Eliasson and Patrik Svärd, bass player Hans Persson and drummer Roger Landin got together to write songs and rehearse. The five-piece started shopping for a deal at the end of 2002, supported by Anders “Theo” Theander’s RoastingHouse Productions, one of the most important production and management companies of the Scandinavian metal scene. The watchful eye of METAL HEAVEN boss Georg Siegl fell on the talented bunch and in the Spring and early Summer of 2004, Cloudscape laid down this remarkable debut album.

The enclosed biography mentions all sorts of obvious influences, of which only Symphony X seems righteous to me, albeit Cloudscape are not a neo-classical metal act pur sang. There’s too much of an eighties hard rock feel to their song material to pigeon-hole the band into that direction. Nevertheless, I’d first and foremost recommend them to fans of fellow Scandinavian outfits as Time Requiem (and its first incarnation Majestic) and Virtuocity. Those will especially love tracks as the haunting “Witching Hour”, “Out Of The Shadows” and the Symphony X like “Dawn Of Fury”. The aforementioned eighties influence in cuts as “Under Fire”, “Everyday Is Up To You” and “The Presence Of Spirits” is so obvious however that also fans of melodic hard rock – think (old) Europe – and melodic metal at its most straightforward – think Masterplan – will drool over this. A lot of credit for this versatility goes out to vocalist Micael Andersson, another hot Scandinavian export following in the footsteps of Jorn Lande (Masterplan, Jorn, ex-Ark), Nils Patrik Johansson (Astral Doors, Wuthering Heights) and Apollo Papathanasiou (Time Requiem, ex-Majestic, ex-Faith Taboo). He claims to be influenced by Toto’s Bobby Kimball, Whitesnake’s David Coverdale, Symphony X’s Russell Allen and Lande. Who am I to dispute this?

Before I cut out, I still want to put this disc’s powerful production in the spotlight. Some might judge me for finding this aspect too important, but an album like this stands or falls with a good sound. Anders Theander (Pain Of Salvation, Last Tribe a.o.) and Pontus Lindmark have done a tremendous job in getting the most out of the already impressive song material.

Need I say that I’ve fallen in love with this fantastic album? My pretended partiality to Scandinavian acts has once again been confirmed. 2005 will have to be really good to keep this out of my end-of-the-year favourites list. RR HQ to Nuclear Blast HQ, are you reading this? Over…

(SL)
 

http://melodic.net/

Prepare yourself for a new Swedish progressive melodic metal band called Cloudscape. This is a band that rose from the ashes of a band locally known as Doctor Weird and performed at the Sweden Rock Festival in 2000. Cloudscape is Micael Andersson (vocals), Björn Eliasson (guitars), Patrik Svärd (guitars), Hans Persson (bass) and Roger Landin (drums). These guys has recorded a heavy powerful metal album that should please fans of Symphony X, Last Tribe, Royal Hunt and Dream Theater which has been produced by Anders "Theo" Theander(Pain Of Salvation, Last Tribe) and Pontus Lindmark.

One thing that you will notice right away with this album is the production that is crystal clear and has a fantastic sound. On their self titled debut album they have recorded 12 hardhitting prog/metal sluggers. On many other albums in this genre many albums gets the feeling that the songs sounds the same but these guys has really manage to come up with a nice variation and keeps the high level right throught the whole album. The highlights on this album is the fantastic Witching Hour with brilliant melodies and strong hooklines with lovely keyboard sound. In These Walls is powerful and has a pompish feel over it and when the chorus comes you willl have a hard time to stay calm and this is my personal favourite of the album.

Singer Micael Andersson has a strong and powerful voice and suits to this just perfect and he is not far behind singers like Jorn Lande(Masterplan), David Coverdale(Whitesnake) and Dream Theaters James Labrie, this is a guy we will hear more from and I´m sure of that. Everyday Is Up To You includes some impressive guitarriffs with a strong chorus and sounds like a mixture of Dream Theater and Royal Hunt. The Presence Of Spirits is a winner with a slightly AORish chorus with strong harmony vocals, superb melodies and hooks but otherwise a hard hitting melodic metal song.

Well, I could easily mention couple of more tracks but I don´t think that´s necessary because if your into melodic metal then this is album you can´t avoid by no means.

A very strong debut album from these melodic metal Swedes.

http://melodicrock.com.

Songs: 85%
Sound: 92%
Total: 88%