Hailing from Sweden,
HEARTWIND is the brainchild of musicians and long-time friends guitarist
Goren Engvall of
HITWORKS and keyboardist
Mikael Rosengren from such bands as
CONSTANCIA, TOKEN, and
SCUDIERO. The duo were able to crank out several songs for a debut album and then sought out members to round out the lineup. They recruited several fellow well-known Swedes to create a full band lineup. This included
CONSTANCIA bandmate
Peter Svensson on drums and
German Pascual from
NARNIA and
ESSENCE OF SORROW on vocals.
Pascual was able to convince fellow musical partners
Martin Hall from the
GERMAN PASCUAL BAND to join on guitar and bass player
Germain Leth, previously of
THE POODLES and
WATCHMEN. Courted by the three different labels, the group ultimately went with Germany’s
AOR Heaven to release their full-length debut “
Higher and Higher” in 2018 to much fanfare from fans and critics alike. The group is back with their sophomore album, upgrading guest singer
Nina Soderquist to full-time member but losing vocalist
Pascual along with his cohorts. He is replaced by vocalist
Stefan Nykvist and they moved to new management with England’s
Escape Music.
Despite the change in lineup and label,
HEARTWIND is still truly committed to the mix of melodic hard rock with a strong heavy metal edge. Their highly anticipated follow-up
“Strangers” features 10 track of high octane melodic rock and vocal performances from fresh vocalist
Stefan Nykvist and newly promoted
Nina Soderquist. The album is produced, mixed and mastered by
Fredrik Folkare famous for producing
CONSTANCIA, DENIED, and
ECLIPSE albums. The band are also known for utilizing their industry connections and the album features a lot of Swedish guest artists such as guitarist
Mike Laver of power metallers
DYNAZTY,
Erik Martensson, vocalist of
ECLIPSE and
W.E.T. and the multi-talented
Mats Leven who has sung for symphonic metal band
THERION, epic doom metal band
CANDLEMASS as well as collaborated with guitar legend
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN.
The album grabbed me right away and may be one of my favorites of 2020. The album opens with the amazing
“Stranger in the Night”, establishing early on the amazing talent behind the band with a great vocal performance from
Nykvist and some jaw-dropping virtuosic guitar solos. Then
“Line of Fire” is
Soderquist’s turn to shine, belting out soaring melodies over a thrashing hard rocking tune. Trading lead vocals back and forth keeps the listeners ear fresh and yearning for each voice because
Nykvist returns on
“Amanda” an 80’s drenched arena rock dream with a blistering solo from
Goren Envall. Then the requisite power ballad arrives in
“Angels Cry Again” a tender respite from the over-the-top
VAN HALEN-like guitar grandiosity, channeling
HEART’s Ann Wilson. We return to AOR masterpieces with
“One Love” and
“I’m Alive” with a classic AOR atmosphere and choruses that could rival past classics. I could go on and on, but do yourself a favor and experience this album for yourself before I spoil anything else.
Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10