Album review: Eclipse – Megalomanium

By PAUL SOUTHWELL

SWEDISH hard rock act Eclipse are now nine studio albums into their career – and get better with every release.

Their ability to deliver quickfire and memorable melodic choruses are again embellished with crisp backing vocals and dynamic production. They have followed up the superb Wired and Paradigm albums with the perfectly constructed Megalomanium. The Stockholm crew finally made it to Australia for Glam Fest earlier this year – putting the repeat offender run nonsense from a debacle plagued prior skewered tour behind them – and by all reports were one of the successful tour highlights. The band is rising in profile, sharing stages worldwide with legacy acts and other notable bands, consistently winning over crowds. The sets from this latest release look likely to continue that trend.

Kicking off with pre-release single, “The Hardest Part Is Losing You”, front man Erik Mårtensson’s Gretsch guitar quietly fades in – to be doubled with force by lead guitarist Magnus Henriksson – and backed by now established rhythm section members of drummer Philip Crusner and bassist Victor Crusner. It could be a pop song by any other band but the arrangements and dynamics give off that hard rock flair. The chorus is both soaring and emotively delivered, bolstered by a chordal rhythm figure and the subsequent guitar solo utilises their now distinctive twang to add variations on a musical interlude.

A burst of energy is followed with “Got It!”, which feels like an undisclosed musical coping mechanism, roaring with pop punk rock intensity. A speedy guitar solo sounds doubled to precision, as do the post-chorus figures and strong vocal deliveries, making use of accented parts for emphasis. The mood shifts to a more epic, open feel of the Celtic themes infused “Anthem”, demonstrating Mårtensson’s vocal prowess and the overall melodic sensibility of the band. A middle eight figure guitar solo provides from judicious virtuosity, wrapped in trills, wide bends and melodic runs. Big, sustained chords, crowd rousing vocals and strong drum hits abound.

Eclipse’s hard rock pedigree is revealed in “Children of the Night”, with a restrained bombast, as floor toms, cymbals and a marching, driving feel is built, with the chorus again easily accessible. A tasteful, swift guitar solo is effortlessly delivered, followed by some chain clinking effects for good measure and chanted backing vocals. Poppier hard rock resumes with the arpeggiated opening guitar riff of “Hearts Collide”, as vocal led verses work over acoustic guitars, ushering in electric guitars up in the mix for the chorus. Soloing, whilst present, is confined to an interspersed melodic role in this song.

The second half of the album is closer to their known pop rock sounds as “I Don’t Get It” counters brittle distorted guitars against a backing vocal-drenched chorus and a subtle keyboard figure bouncing away through the mix. But when the solo kicks in, Henriksson offers a dose of almost neoclassical fuelled shredding, albeit brief, but those diminished runs and trills fuse into a bluesy rounding out before the chorus is reprised. It may sound formulaic on paper, but nothing sounds shoehorned in; it all flows quickly and well. “The Broken” is a similar exercise in brevity, highlighting the chorus, backing it up and using percussive accents against melodic lines that ebb and flow with the chordal riffs.

Deeper cut “So Long, Farewell, Goodbye” gets the award for the album’s best track. A quick reverberating sonic bell strike then allows a simple palm-muted, distorted figure work in tandem with higher octave chord hits, to inevitably build into the pre-chorus that fits snugly with the melodic, lyrically defiant chorus. The bridge quickly lets Henriksson peel off his best No More Tears era Zakk Wylde soloing skills. Back to the chorus and it’s wrapped up nicely with a sudden rock crescendo.

More keyboard aspects come to light during “High Road” with Victor Crusner taking up vocal duties. It allows Mårtensson to delve into some more of that classic Western-sounding Gretsch guitar twang soloing work, that those familiar with bands like D.A.D. will enjoy. It’s a solid track yet these last few album tracks benefit greatly from the aforementioned guitar soloing style offering a distinctive edge. “One Step Closer to You” broods with intent, using sonic space and ringing guitar tones to give the choruses added impact. The brief solo is a surf guitar, tremolo, chordal delight, eventually leading to an arpeggiated fade-out with subtle keyboard colours.

The last track on the album, “Forgiven”, leads into a romping, galloping, Gretsch guitar-filled piece and closes out the album perfectly. Melodicism and ascending chord figures built a succinct chorus, allowing another brief but tightly executed guitar soloing outing. As the final chorus fades out, there is that sense of this song being a fitting live set closing track, as sustained distorted guitars chords decay into feedback, gently howling over an acoustic guitar figure.

Melodic rock, pop rock, hard rock or arena rock are some of the categories bandied about to describe Eclipse. Simply, they continually put out good music and Megalomanium is yet another fantastic release from a band who, if radio still existed with any clout, would likely be a household name. Megalomanium might just put them on the map.
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