Acacia Avenue – ‘Early Warning’/ ‘Worlds Apart’

(Perris Records)

Hot on the heels of Acacia Avenue’s latest album Chapter V, this new value for money combo release takes us back to the band’s earlier catalogue, bringing together 2016’s Early Warning and 2018’s Worlds Apart in one neat package. For anyone discovering the band through their most recent release, this is a pretty enticing way of filling in the gaps and exploring what came before.

Of course, there is one rather important caveat. If, like myself, you already own both albums, there really isn’t much reason to rush out and buy this release. There are no bonus tracks, previously unreleased recordings or added extras to tempt existing fans; this is simply a straight reissue of two albums together. From a collector’s perspective, that makes it somewhat redundant. However, for newcomers, this is a different story altogether.

If you have become a fan of Acacia Avenue after hearing Chapter V, then Early Warning / Worlds Apart is an essential purchase. These albums demonstrate precisely why Torben Enevoldsen’s project has become such a reliable name within the melodic rock scene. Enevoldsen, the band’s main man and multi-instrumentalist, has a knack for putting together consistently solid collections of songs that deliver exactly what melodic rock fans are looking for.

There’s nothing particularly revolutionary going on here, but that really isn’t the point. Acacia Avenue specialise in well-crafted, highly melodic hard rock, packed with strong choruses, polished musicianship and plenty of those hooks that lodge themselves into your brain after just a couple of listens. This is dependable melodic rock in the very best sense of the word: familiar, accessible and thoroughly enjoyable.

One of the great attractions of Acacia Avenue’s albums is the impressive collection of guest musicians Enevoldsen manages to assemble. Genre favourites such as Rob Moratti, Steve Newman, Mats Levén and Peter Sundell have all contributed their talents, and their involvement is certainly going to pique the interest of melodic rock aficionados.

For those new to these songs, there is plenty here to discover, and I’m confident that ‘Stand Up and Shout’, ‘Straight To Your Heart’, ‘Wait For Love’ and ‘All For Love’ will quickly become firm favourites on many a melodic rock playlist.

Early Warning / Worlds Apart may offer nothing new for existing owners, but as an introduction to Acacia Avenue’s earlier work, it’s a cracking two-album package. Solid, melodic and reliable, exactly what you’d expect from Acacia Avenue.

8/10

Essential Track – ‘Wait For Love’

Review by Woody