Released by Frontiers Records– 2010
Review Added January 25, 2010
Released: January 12, 2010 (USA) on Frontiers Records
Running Time: 50:47
Musical Style: Melodic Rock
Links: www.myspace.com/ontherisemusic
Links: www.ontherise.info
Tracklist
1. Lifeline**
2. Lost Your Track**
3. Dream Zone
4. Edellyn**
5. Alive
6. In the Line of Fire
7. Get Out of Here**
8. Fly Away
9. No Time to Lose
10. Why Wait Another Day**
11. Tomorrow Never Dies**
12. Howling at the Moon
13. Find a Way (Bonus track)
Hot Tracks**
Terje Eide – Lead Vocals, All Guitars, Keyboards, Bass & All Background Vocals
with
Erik Engebretsen: drums
Christian Wolff: Keyboards & Bass on 1, 2, 7, 10 & 12 / Lead Guitars on 2 & 10 / Acoustic Guitars on 10
Eric Ragno: Piano & Keyboards on 1, 3, 4 & 11
Hailing from Norway, Terje Eide (lead & background vocals, guitars) started in the music industry at the very young age of 16. He started in some local music contests and later join some recognizable bands in the region working his way to what eventually was a demo recorded in 2001, which peaked the interest of Frontiers Records. Since then On the Rise released the self title debut which went on to receive critical acclaim and now we have the follow up “Dream Zone“. Even though he is a one man show for the most part, this man is very talented musician, as he manages to compose the music here with extreme passion and distinguishable taste.
Opening strong is the first track of “Dream Zone” titled “Lifeline” which packs a mighty punch of AOR classic written all over it, from the chorus to the keys, just perfect opener and you add the smooth vocals of Terje and you have yourself a winner. The opening riff in “Lost Your Track” has a perfect 80’s sound and the chorus here shines once again as it picks up the pace and blends in carefully to create a meticulous crafted tune, along with a wonderful smooth guitar rhythm and solo. The soft acoustic passages of the ballad “Edellyn” tones things down a bit, while adding a nice touch of personality and heart making this one a very accessible tune on the record. One of my favorites is “Alive” which borrows it’s influences from the hard rock genre and the Scandinavian scene, and still sounding as catchy as anything in the genre today.Fans are in for a real treat when “Get Out of Here” rolls around as the composition here reminds of classic Toto in it’s hay day, catchy, aspiring and a addictive hook to hold the listener. So many highlights is hard to describe each one, but I wanted to point out another top notch track in “Why Wait Another Day” which stays powerful and melodic, finding perfect balance between the both. The high quality of the material shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone as Terje is a terrific instrumentalist and its evident on not only the music and writing but the production.
How can you go wrong if you’re a pure melodic rock and AOR fan, just classic stuff here folks. One of the most enjoyable listening experiences in the genre today. Terge Eide was quoted as saying about the record “The songs are catchy, groovy and they’ve got the strong choruses and melody lines that I always want them to have.” He hit it right on point here, I couldn’t agree more with his assessment, is a top notch melodic rock record, with plenty of mood changes and high flying anthems, enough to please fans who like it trendy and melodic at the same time, along with terrific musicianship. Go pick this one, highly recommended!!!.
Written by Denys
Ratings Denys 8/10
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