Gastem – ‘Hard To Stop’

(Eonian Records)

There is something undeniably appealing about a band that refuses to chase modern trends and instead looks back to an era when melodic rock was all about big hooks, polished production, warm guitar tones and songs built around the simple art of making rock music feel good. Gastem’s Hard To Stop certainly belongs in that category, offering up a distinctly old-school melodic rock sound that could have comfortably found a home somewhere in the early nineties. The problem is that while there is plenty here to enjoy, there isn't quite enough to make the album genuinely exciting.

Hard To Stop is an intriguing listen, particularly for anyone with a soft spot for the melodic rock records that emerged around the turn of the Nineties. Gastem clearly understands the ingredients. There are melodic guitar lines, cleanly constructed arrangements, accessible choruses and a general sense of nostalgia running throughout the record. It feels like an album made by musicians who genuinely appreciate the classic melodic rock formula rather than a calculated attempt to recreate it. And that authenticity works in its favour.

There is a pleasing warmth to the overall sound. The guitars have enough bite to remind you that this is still rock music, while the melodies are given plenty of room to breathe. The arrangements aren't overloaded with unnecessary production tricks, and that gives the album a certain straightforward charm. In an age when so many records are polished to within an inch of their lives, there is something refreshing about an album that simply gets on with the business of delivering melodic rock.

Vocally, Rob Galpin’s style fit’s the material well. There is no sense of trying to compete with the huge vocal theatrics of some of the genre's more celebrated frontmen. Instead, his delivery feels relatively natural and suitably rooted in the period Gastem are clearly drawing inspiration from. Galpin’s vocals carry the melodies effectively, although there are occasions when a little more character, power or emotional intensity might have elevated the material.

That is perhaps the biggest issue with Hard To Stop. Everything is perfectly competent, but very little of it demands your attention.

There is a fine line between understated and unremarkable, and Gastem occasionally find themselves on the wrong side of it. The songs are well constructed and there are certainly melodies that stick around after the album has finished, but the record rarely produces that moment where you suddenly sit up and think, "Now we're talking." Instead, it settles into a comfortable groove and remains there for much of its running time.

That isn't necessarily a criticism that should be levelled too harshly. Not every melodic rock album needs to be a fist-pumping, roof-raising collection of anthems. Sometimes there is a place for something more relaxed and restrained, and Hard To Stop certainly has an easy-going quality that makes it an enjoyable background listen. It just doesn't have quite enough personality to turn that enjoyment into genuine enthusiasm.

The early-nineties influence is particularly obvious, and depending on your musical tastes that will either be a major selling point or something that limits the album's impact. Gastem aren't attempting to reinvent melodic rock here. There is little experimentation, and the band clearly isn't interested in pushing the boundaries of the genre. Instead, they embrace a familiar template and work within it.

At its best, that approach gives Hard To Stop a pleasing retro quality. It brings to mind the period when melodic rock was beginning to evolve from its eighties heyday while still retaining plenty of the big melodic sensibilities that had defined the previous decade. There is an almost time-capsule quality to parts of the record. Unfortunately, nostalgia can only carry an album so far.

Once the initial appeal of the vintage sound begins to wear off, the limitations of the songwriting become more apparent. There simply aren't enough genuinely memorable moments to make Hard To Stop an album that I can see returning to repeatedly. There are no disasters here, but equally there aren't enough peaks to offset the stretches where the album becomes somewhat predictable. That makes this a difficult record to dislike, but equally difficult to love.

The musicianship is solid throughout, the production suits the material and the band clearly knows exactly what sort of album they want to make. There is also a genuine sense that Gastem are doing this for the love of the music rather than attempting to follow whatever happens to be fashionable. Those qualities deserve credit.

But ultimately, Hard To Stop feels more like a pleasant discovery than an essential listen. It is the sort of album you can put on, settle back with and enjoy without ever feeling the need to reach for the volume control. For some listeners, particularly those who treasure the more obscure corners of early-nineties melodic rock, that may be more than enough. For me, though, it falls frustratingly short of making a lasting impression.

Hard To Stop is certainly intriguing. It has an appealing old-school character, some strong melodic instincts and enough quality to make the album worth investigating. What it lacks is that elusive spark, the hooks, performances or sheer personality that transform a competent melodic rock album into something genuinely memorable.

There is nothing particularly wrong with Gastem's approach. In fact, there is quite a lot to admire about it. But admiration and excitement are two very different things, and Hard To Stop inspires considerably more of the former than the latter.

A decent trip back to the early nineties, but one that ultimately leaves you wishing Gastem had given us just a little more to get excited about.

5/10

Essential Track – ‘Hard To Stop’

Review by Woody