Year : 2012 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Female Vocals
Country : Sweden
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 121 mb
Bio:
Swedish Hard Rock with heavy riffs and outstanding melodies!NUBIAN ROSE evolves around the magnetic charisma and majestic voice of Sofia Lilja, combined with the unique talent of guitarist Christer Åkerlund. In combination with powerful guitar riffs and great melodies, they put a new spirit in the classic melodic hard rock.Nubian Rose was founded in 2011. Guitarist Christer Åkerlund knew he found a unique talent in Sofia Lilja when he first heard her sing. Her powerful voice and charismatic stage presence were something very special and meant for greatness. When they started to write music together they knew they were on to something big and they decided to make an album.After planning a self-financed, low-key release of their debut album, ‘Mountain‘, in 2012, they were shocked and excited by how the music spread like wildfire worldwide. Within weeks of the Swedish release, they were played on radio stations in the US, the UK, Italy, France and throughout Europe. Rock fans everywhere immediately recognised their hook-filled brand of Hard Rock with tunes such as; ‘Ever See Your Face‘, ‘Reckless‘, ‘Mountain‘ and the outstanding power ballad ‘How Am I‘. Soon they were featured in great rock magazines such as Classic Rock and the legendary Japanese publication, Burrn!. The reviews were excellent, Classic Rock Magazine (8/10), Powerplay (9/10), Rock Hard (8/10), Burrn! (83%); to name a few of the key publications.Long before the European release of ‘Mountain‘, NUBIAN ROSE were also booked to play the main stage at the first Hard Rock Hell AOR festival in Rotherham 2013. This was the band’s first European show and their appearance was one of the festivals most talked about with Sofia Lilja sporting a Union Jack cat suit for part of the show to mark the event!With some changes in the band line-up, Nubian Rose is now back with their sophomore album. It’s called Mental Revolution and is clearly a step forward. Christer Åkerlund has produced it and Swedish superproducer, Tobias Lindell(HEAT, Europe, Hardcore Superstar, Avatar, Mustasch), has once again done the mixing. The production is more edgy and bigger in every way; drums and guitars are dominating together with great melodies. Christer and Sofia’s cooperation as a songwriting duo has deepend and matured. It’s obvious that the roots of the Nubian Rose music is coming from the same place as before, but with Mental Revolution they have clearly been taking a big step forward.
Album:
No doubt one of the best female fronted melodic Hard Rock acts appeared in the last two decades, Swedes NUBIAN ROSE made waves with their 2012 debut album titled “Mountain”, presented in exclusive here several week before its release back in day.The Japanese Edition of the album – now out of print and a collectors item – featured a different cover art and two exclusive bonus tracks – and we are presenting again in exclusive ”Mountain [Japan Edition +2]’‘.Nubian Rose revolves around singer Sofia Lilja as a vehicle for his stardom, but it’s fair to say the music in this CD sounds played by a cohesive band, and a damn fine one. Lilja is a renowned vocal coach in North Europe, recognized for training Swedish TV4-show Idol artists. But this girl is more than a teacher, owner of an incredible register and an overwhelming personality.And which genre Sofia has chosen for her self-place in the spotlight? Pure, meaty, awe-inspiring ’80s Female Fronted Melodic Hard Rock. And pure in all aspects; songwriting, attitude and sonics. This woman has the pipes and the technique of a young Jackie Bodimead, Kristina Nichols, Gudrun Laos or Lee Aaron, and the fire of a wild rocker.“Mountain” is the dream come true for thousands of real Female Fronted Hard Rock fans eager for a band and album like this since the early Nineties.One of the most remarkable attributes of this band is the bite, the attack on every song without losing the melodic sense. This is true polished and melodious Hard Rock with a female at the mic. Songs full of energy, catchiness, foot-tapping choruses… the twin guitar work is always varied and scintillating, plenty of staccato slashing, all over a smashing rhythm section and clever keyboards when needed.But the star here is Sofia Lilja’s voice. Seriously, this woman is the most brilliant female rock singers we heard in years. Her range, articulation and general permormance blows out of the water already good singers recently appeared such as Issa, Amanda Sommerville or Elizabeth Lzzy Hale – and that’s something.A track-by-track isn’t neccessary this time our fellow readers, every song has its own charm evoking late Eighties / early Nineties magic.Just to mention the guest stars, the excellent cover of Lita Ford / Ozzy classic “Close My Eyes Forever” is performed in duet with Mats Levén, one of the finest vocals in the hard rock world and former singer of Yngwie Malmsteen’s band, Therion and Swedish Erotica. And we have former Europe guitarist Kee Marcello who can be heard on the killer hard rocker “Living For Tomorrow”.While currently Nubian Rose has modernized their sound & style, “Mountain” is A Must Have for every classic Female Fronted Melodic Hard Rock fan – we said back in 2012 ”an album with the smell of a future classic”… and indeed it is for this genre.
Line Up:
Sofia Lilja – Vocals
Christer Akerlund – Guitar
Thomas Lindgren – Guitar
Henric Uhrbom – Bass
David Algesten – Drums
Fredrik Akerlund – Keyboards
+ guests:
Kee Marcello – Guitar on 3
Mats Levén – Vocals on 9
Production:
Recorded At – Gig Studion
Mixed At – Bohus Sound Recording
Mastered At – Bohus Sound Recording
Published By – Funklord Dynasty
Published By – EMI Music Publishing
Arranged By [Strings and Power Arrangement] – Adam Nordén (tracks: 9), Per Magnusson (tracks: 4)
Art Direction – Magnus Lindsten
Design [Logotype Design] – Andreas Jendin
Engineer [Assistant Sound Engineer] – Jonas Öhlund
Engineer [Sound Engineer] – Conny Wall
Executive-Producer – Christer Åkerlund, Sofia Lilja, Thomas Lindgren
Liner Notes – 藤木昌生
Mastered By – Dragan Tanaskovic
Mixed By – Tobias Lindell
Musician [Additional], Backing Vocals – Britta Bergström, Mats Levén
Musician [Additional], Bass [Fretless Bass] – Simon Algesten
Musician [Additional], Percussion – Lars Normalm
Photography By [Cover Photo] – Daniel Ohlsson
Photography By [Live Photo] – Claudio Bresciani, Daniel Nyqvist, Jasmine Wikström
Photography By [Photo Mountain] – Peter Lilja
Producer – Christer Åkerlund, Nubian Rose
Tracklist:
01. Ever See Your Face
02. Mountain
03. Living for Tomorrow
04. How Am I
05. Get Ready
06. Your Love
07. Once Bitten
08. Reckless
09. Close My Eyes Forever
10. Sisters
11. How Am I (Acoustic Mix) (Japan Bonus Track)
12. Reckless (Live) (Japan Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
