Year : 1984-2014 (Pride & Joy Music Edition 2024)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : Sweden
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 100 mb
Bio:
Swedish heavy metal / hard rock band from Stockholm, "Above the Clouds" (ATC), that existed between 1979 and 1985.The band released their first and only LP Cut in Ice in 1984 on Vertigo Records. An attention-grabbing appearance at Gröna Lund from 1985 is preserved on video. Before the band's split, two more songs were recorded. These were produced by Michael B Tretow who also produced Abba among others, but were never released. Among the band's members are Mats "Mappe" Björkman, who later became a member of Candlemass, and Tommy Denander, who had a successful career as a studio musician, and in his own projects. At the time of the recording of Cut in Ice, Denander was 13 years old.
Tommy Denander (born March 10, 1968 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a guitarist and producer.He has appeared on more than 2000 albums with artists such as: Michael Jackson, Paul Stanley, Alice Cooper, Ricky Martin, BB King, Don Henley, Sheryl Crow, David Coverdale, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Toto, Fee Waybill, Richard Marx, Robin Beck, House Of Lords, Westlife, Backstreet Boys, David Archuleta, Tokio Hotel, Radioactive, Michael Schenker, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kenny Loggins, Kelly Keagy, Jimi Jamison and others.Tommy appears on about 100-150 albums per year, is often seen on major TV shows (see YouTube link) and has been playing live all over the world with artists like Mitch Malloy, Bobby Kimball, Dan Reed, Jimi Jamison, Robin Beck, House Of Lords and others.
Album:
If you’re a fan of Melodic Rock, and you’ve bought the odd CD or two over the last four decades, chances are you own multiple albums featuring the talents of guitarist, songwriter and producer Tommy Denander. At the tender age of fifteen, the young Scandinavian signed his first record contract with the Swedish Hard Rock band ATC, who released their one and only album ‘Cut In Ice’ via Polygram / Vertigo in 1984. So, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of how it all started, Denander decided to re-record the whole ATC album, together with new American singer Rob Blake and drummer Neil Anami. The limited edition (500 CD’s) also contains a booklet, and also features the whole story of the band, plus lots of never-before-seen pictures.This is not your archetypical guitar playing from Denander; instead, this is him channelling his inner “Rockstar”, and shredding like there’s no tomorrow.Opener, ‘Cut In Ice’ sounds like it could have come off Def Leppard’s opus ‘High ‘n’ Dry’, and sets the scene for eight tracks of Melodic Hard Rock that never fears to step into the Melodic Metal genre. ‘I’m Alive’ continues, and is reminiscent of early Dokken, whilst the shredding intensifies further with ‘Reach Out’.‘Above The Clouds’ is split in to two sections, with ‘Part 1’ being an impressive instrumental, before the vocals kick in at the minute-and-a-half mark for ‘Part 2’; the whole track is eight-minutes of pure Melodic Metal heaven. ‘Hard To Believe’ has a more commercial feel à la Dokken, whilst the riffs in ‘It’s Alright’ and ‘Bursting Out’ take a casual nod to the bands of the NWOBHM, with the latter containing a huge Saxon-like riff. The album concludes with ‘Nobody’s Heroes’, which sees more intense shredding, not seen since Boris Johnson and the “Partygate” saga.I have to confess that I’ve never actually heard the original album, so comparisons are futile, albeit to say, Blake does a great job on vocals. The up-to-date production, whilst making it an enjoyable listen, does not detract from the fact that these were songs originally written four decades ago. The album contains a plethora of tectonic-style riffs, plus more solos than a Star Wars convention.Thanks, Tommy Denander, for your contribution to music over the last forty years... long may it continue.
Line Up:
Rob Blake - Vocals
Tommy Denander - Guitars - See also: Radioactive, Vitalines, ex-Johan Kihlberg's Impera, ex-Maciej Podsiadło, ex-Cheese, ex-Deacon Street, ex-Frozen Rain, ex-Mountain of Power, ex-Prisoner, ex-Rainmaker, ex-Sayit, ex-Talk of the Town, ex-Tykoon
Tommy Denander - Guitar, Bass
Neil Anami - Drums, Percussion
Production:
Marketed By – Pride & Joy Music
Producer, Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Tommy Denander
Tracklist:
01. Cut In Ice
02. I’m Alive
03. Reach Out
04. Above The Clouds (Part 1 & 2)
05. Hard To Believe
06. It’s Alright
07. Bursting Out
08. Nobody’s Heroes
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
