High Road Easy - 'High Road Easy'

(Independent)

I was impressed by High Road Easy’s previous album ‘III’ so I was keen to hear the follow up. It’s a solid album and enjoyable enough, but nowhere near as engrossing as their previous effort. So, when I discovered that the album is re-recordings of songs or demo’s that never made any of their previous albums it all seems to slot into place. I felt the band were cruising in second gear on this album not reaching the heights I had previously heard, knowing these songs are off cuts makes sense to that feeling of the songs been sub-par for them.

With that said it does show just how strong those previous albums are as these songs were not seen as good enough but still strong enough to create a solid and enjoyable album albeit far from their best.

Jan Knopf’s vocals are superb throughout and for an indie band he showcases vocals of a standard rarely heard at this level of the game. Add to that Sven Horlemann’s strong song writing and impressive guitar work it really does make you wonder how High Road Easy are not more widely known and regarded within the melodic rock underground scene.

Stylistically the songs are very varied so knowing these songs were cherry picked from over a decade of recording sessions makes these variations in tone and style more understandable.

With no offence intended towards these guys but I feel had this album been pushed as a retrospective and collection of unreleased songs as opposed to a brand-new album, I may have been less disappointed and enjoyed the album for what it was. Rather than constantly comparing it to its superior predecessor and maybe been far harsher in my opinion than I may have been otherwise.

The album opener ‘Lights’ shows the band at its finest – an infectious and atmospheric melodic rocker that will put a smile on even the grumpiest of melodic rockers faces. After this track however the quality goes up and down but never betters it.

If you are a fan of German or Scandinavian melodic rock you should still check this album out regardless of my negative comments as I truly believe the band should be better known and if this one lights your fire – you’ll be in for a treat when you investigate their back catalogue.

6/10

Essential Track - 'Lights'

Review by Woody