Label: Atomic Fire Records
Date: January 14th, 2022
I’ve been struggling a bit with making this review longer. I mean, seriously. Look, if you’re a fan of Europe, the band not the continent (though you might be a fan of both actually), this is a no-brainer. If by any chance you like what Tommy Heart did behind the microphone in Fair Warning, then you’re in for an absolute treat!
Put those two on the same stage and that’s it. Or pretty much, lose Tempest and give Heart, and you will get Out Of This World.
Hm, now that I put it that way, that sentence right there explains the whole thing. But there’s no way I can just finish it up here.
Let’s go on name-dropping. So, there’s Kee Marcello, formerly of Europe (still not the continent, though he is of European descent). Then there’s Ken Sandin from Alien (the band, not the movie) and Swedish Erotica (still not the movie). Darby Todd used to perform alongside Devin Townsend and Gary Moore, among others.
They used to work with each other at one point or another prior to forming Out Of This World. And now they’re all together making my life a bit more beautiful than it was before the promotional package landed on my lap.
Okay, I’ll drop just one more name. Don Airey. Additional keyboards, but still…
There you have it. A supergroup! And a good one at that! A rare occasion, to say the least.
Some would say it is easy. With such a massive experience, they cannot go wrong. Especially with using tried and tested creative solutions. Still, many have failed. I hate to go for an answer to the promo sheet, but it is simply there. These albums need good songs! Catchy choruses. Instrumental mastery. Arrangements stemming straight from the late eighties. And a creative mind to put it all together.
Not to mention a producer that knows all that and how to get the sound exactly where it needs to. Name-dropping alone is of no use other than it might help the sales. And good songs also help sales. “Out of This World” has a vast number of those.
Extremely melodic hard rock, heavily supported by that recognizable synthesizer and vocals that just won’t leave you alone. That’s Out Of This World. Then again, you have the superb double bass pedal in “The Warrior”. Whoever thought about putting it there deserves a medal!
There’s actually nothing I can add more. Perhaps “Out of This World” needs a few questions. Like why did you start another project when you were already playing together in a couple of them? Why not just go on under the same name? Also, I’m sure I’ve seen a number of similarly themed cover artworks.
But who cares!? I love this album! Just as much as I love where it came from sound-wise. Its influences, muses. Its something old, borrowed and blue, without anything new. Good job fellas!
