Customer Reviews

Overload

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's the 21st century's biggest rock mystery that the band as Harem Scarem that should already have made a hit album or two remain unknown to the music fans community. Recent albums from Weight of the World(2002), Higher(2003)to this release are just hilarious and I really hope this album will finally gain commercial success.

As some of the reviewers mentioned this album has more modern rock approach than the predecessors but still retain the classic rock feel. DAGGER the opener is somewhat close to their earlier rock songs and a bit close to current Canadian rock superstar Nickleback in vocal style. AFTERGLOW is the most commercial track from the album that should be played more in radio station. DON'T COME EASY is really another commercial rock song that will be sure to expand their fanbase. FORGIVE AND FORGET is typical of uptempo shuffle rocker and ALL YOU'RE GETTING is well-produced trademark ballad that should appeal to the music fans new to them. (But seasoned fans may get a bit bored because we listened similarly styled uptempo songs in eigher Weight Of The World and Higher.)

Verdict: Commercial success is imperative so that they can move on to the step forward.

Rating: 90 out of 100

It's incredible that they can create so many great songs in just a few years.

Recommended for either casual Harem Scarem fans or the rock fans who also love NICKLEBACK, GOO GOO DOLL, Hardline, and Giant.

Maybe it isn't like "Mood Swings", which EVERY fan loves to DEATH. Maybe it's not perfect melody like "Higher". It's certainly close to the EVIL DARK EVIL DARK "Voice Of Reason", very heavy, freaky in some way. This album has the same attention and comments from when VOR first came out. Give it plenty of listens all the way through and I'm sure you'll grow into it as well. Harry Hess is the most influential vocalist I have ever known, and Pete Lesperance can still very much rock out on guitar! Highlights of the album: Dagger, Can't Live With You, Leading Me On.

Many melodic rock fans will attest to the fact that Harem Scarem is one of the all-time classic bands in the genre. It's tough to explain how a band that consistently releases records on par with the best of Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Aerosmith remains (for the most part) ignored by the larger music community. For those new to the Harem story, the band started out as a softer Journey influenced act with their debut album, progressing to the heavier sounds of Mood Swings and Voice of Reason. A few more records followed, including a name change to Rubber, and a stylistic change towards more power-pop influenced music. Returning as Harem Scarem for the much praised Weight of the World album, the band has since delivered 3 great albums, including 2003's Higher and Early Years, and now 2005's Overload.

As with any of the band's output, this album is full of surprises and is a totally different beast than the albums that preceded it. This approach sees the band jumping all over the map musically, but helps them to remain fresh and display original sounds - which is tough when you release over 10 studio albums in 15 years. Overload can be seen as a combination of Weight of the World and Voice of Reason due to the heavier guitars and vocals. Guitarist Pete Lesperance shines and brings out his baritone guitars, vocalist Harry Hess smokes on every track, and the rhythm section is rock solid as ever. The band's overall sound is a cool mix of Def Leppard, Skid Row, Whitesnake, and Queen. On paper it sounds like heavy Extreme, but Harem has more of a modern edge and heavier (still melodic though) vocals. As always, this comes highly recommended, though I place it just a notch below 2003's Higher album. Since Amazon doesn't give a Track Listing, see below for the track order. You can also get the other version (Japanese I believe), which has a different bonus track for fans already owning the Higher import, which had "Wishing" on it already. The other version leaves off "Wishing" for a cool cover of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."

Track List:

"Dagger" - One of the heaviest tracks, great chorus

"Afterglow" - More power pop for the Rubber fans, but with a twist

"Rise and Fall" - Really heavy vocals and a cool guitar solo

"Don't Come Easy" - Chorus is a little too simple lyrically, but overall a good track

"Can't Live With You" - Massive Def Leppard style ballad, but much heavier than anything they've done since Pyromania

"Forgive and Forget" - Probably my favorite track here. Very modern sounding, should be a radio hit!

"All You're Getting" - Queen styled ballad that has gotten rave reviews from longtime fans to newbies

"Leading Me On" - An underappreciated track that has a fantastic chorus

"Understand You" - A deceptively simple ballad that provides some great melodic moments

"Same Mistakes" - Voice of Reason styled, 6/8 timed rocker

"Wishing" - Bonus Track, slower ballad that is up to par with their best. Great way to end the album, fits in perfectly with the rest of the tracks.

Harem Scarem are one of,if not the best kept secrets on the melodic rock scene.I'm not going to review every song,so that the listener may decide for themselves. I would say that this is a good cd,BUT,I would say it is a notch below their self titled debut,as well as "mood swings" and "weight of the world".But then again,the majority of their work has been near perfect thus far,so I guess a 4 star release isn't too shabby either.Check this out AFTER you have heard their other releases.

These guys have done it again--putting out a monster modern/melodic rock album that is going virtually unnoticed. As always seems to be the case from one album to the next with these guys, they have taken a different direction.

"Weight Of The World" was these guys' "comeback" album in 2002, and it was at the time the ultimate great combination of my favorite melodic rock of yesteryear and the best of today's "modern rock" sound (for lack of a better term). 2003's "Higher" continued in a similar melodic/modern vein but with a much more pop emphasis. Well, with this effort, the band returns to a considerably heavier sound while also sounding more "modern" than ever in spots yet still incredibly melodic--even if the melodies aren't quite as in your face upon first listen as on some of their previous efforts.

Like with most Harem Scarem albums, I could rave about each and every track here. There is not a dud in the bunch. "Dagger" leads off the album with an amazingly powerful modern-sounding guitar riff that breaks into vintage Harem Scarem melodies. "Rise and Fall" clearly emphasizes the modern and dark tone of the album. "Forgive and Forget" is another awesome, aggressive track in this vein.

"Can't Live With You" is a quinessential power ballad, and "All You're Getting" is another excellent ballad track--check out the beautiful keyboard intro on this track. In fact, there are more tracks that could be considered ballads on this album than usual for this band, as "Understand You" and the closing bonus track "Wishing" would also fall into that category. For sure, they are all high quality.

"Afterglow" is perhaps the ultimate Harem Scarem song on the album, as a subtle verse just explodes into an amazing chorus. "Don't Come Easy", "Leading Me On" and "Same Mistakes" further display this band's uncanny ability to sound current and fresh while still maintaining the melodic sound that I grew up loving. I don't know how they continued to be inspired to do it so well, especially considering their continued lack of commercial success.

For sure, this band's catalog stands up with that of any of the better known "melodic rockers" of the day--including the likes of Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, and other big bands of the genre. They are far superior to bands like Poison--who had plenty of hits I liked "back in the day" but can't touch these guys musically. For sure, they have one of the best sounds going in rock music this decade. Hopefully they will continue to be inspired by their small but loyal following of fans. Like the last two surprising releases in this decade, this one once again delivers the catchy rock and melodies bigtime. Highly recommended for melodic rock fans looking for something that sounds current and fresh.

you can tell this is an example of a band who is commited with themselves, this guys enjoy what they do and it shows in every record they made, strong vocals, excellent guitars, intelligent songs. Overload its a little more heavy, but only in the intensity of the vocals, "forgive and forget" its a goog example of what im saying. Buy it, period.