The Night Flight Orchestra – Amber Galactic

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Björn Strid, the infamous singer of SOILWORK, made a name for himself as one of the best metal vocalists out there around the turn of the millennium. What no one expected was that had been hiding a classic rock heart behind that titanium ribcage of his for quite some time. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, this Swedish classic rock band from Helsingborg is a conglomerate of great musicians: the above mentioned Bjorn Strid, guitarist David Andersson (SOILWORK), bassist D’Angelo (ARCH ENEMY), keytarist Richard Larsson (VON BENZO) and drummer Jonas Kallsback (MEAN STREAK).  With such a line-up, what’s not to like?

With the opening track “Midnight Flyer” you are being introduced into a new galaxy of classic rock: excellent vocals, impressive keyboard solos and kick-ass guitar riffs. “Gemini” opens up with a catchy melodic rhythm and might just be my favorite track from the album, maybe I am playing bias here being my zodiac sign and all, but no, the enduring guitar riffs and the catchy chorus hits you right in the guts, you cant stop but humming it. Another song that stands up is “Sad State Of Affairs” that has a KISS (maybe “Unmasked”) vibe to it, with a 70s style guitar all over the place. Listening to “Domino” it feels like the band is flirting with pop music, while also seeing some hard rock with a lot of AOR elements and melodic tunes.

As Bjorn put it, “Amber Galactic” is about setting free from genre boundaries and expectations that are put on people like us, we just want to create music that we would like to hear ourselves, but that isn’t only for us. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is here to set you free; to invite you to enjoy music in whatever form it is presented. “Amber Galactic” has some impressive compositions, even though an easy listening, it does not sound cheap, so take a ride into the deep space, and after entering this NFO universe, you will never be the same!

Songwriting: 9
Originality: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10