PALACE
“ROCK AND ROLL RADIO”
Album Review by British Steel Sam

8.5/10

Picture this – it’s 1984 and you’re cruising by the waterside in Miami in a white Lamborghini Countach. There’s enough hairspray in your mullet to make it flammable and you’re wearing your darkest shades despite it being night. It’s a cyberpunk, retro-nerds, neon filled wet dream, but what do you have on the stereo for your midnight drive? Allow me to introduce you to PALACE, believe me you will not be disappointed.

PALACE is a one-man affair, a project from the amazing Michael Palace who’s a Swedish musical maestro and has laid down all the instrumental tracks and vocals and has produced this record all by himself. He’s one of those annoyingly talented people who can just about master anything he turns his hand to, and this isn’t his first foray into going it alone. His previous albums ‘Master Of The Universe’ and ‘Binary Music’ channel the same kind of nostalgic synth driven energy, although I believe this new album stands head and shoulders above them both. When he is not making his own music Michael can be found lending his considerable guitar and melodic song writing talents to acts such as Hank Erix, Creye, Platforms, Crazy Lixx and more. If you like Winger, Turbo era Priest, Van Halen’s ‘Jump’ years (I’m thinking of ‘Higher’ here) and any kind of wonderful 80’s metal, rock and pop then you will find a lot to like in this album!

The first track, and the album’s title track, ROCK AND ROLL RADIO gives you a massive dose of what you can expect from PALACE. Superb synthesised keyboard, loads of great effects, fantastic guitar playing, addictively catchy melodies and some great singing. Michael’s voice is perfect for his chosen style, and the production level flawless. Every minute of the song is dripping in nostalgic brilliance and retro groove, and when the guitar solo kicks in it punches the whole multi-layered ensemble into a whole new neon filled dimension! It’s such a head bopping, feel good track that my only criticism is that it ends! This is a late-night driving anthem. The second track CASTAWAY comes in with a slightly slower tempo, a marching rhythm and another enchanting melody. It’s an uplifting, empowering epic where Michael gets to showcase his considerable vocal talents to the backdrop of more lovely synth keyboards and guitar work. The solo is wonderfully melodic, deep and moving and a perfect example of when a writer knows exactly how to structure a song, note perfect.

WAY UP HERE follows on, an inspiring, uplifting power ballad that you cannot be sad listening to! Seriously its impossible! The lyrics, the melody, everything about the song pushes you on and lifts your spirits. The guitar work on display is brilliant, and I recommend watching the music video to see Michael showing off his skill. I believe that this level of musicianship and raw song writing talent should have Michael looking at a chart topper, if only those sort of things still mattered in today’s world of generic pop. This song deserves airtime, it has that radio friendly style, but its rock and metal roots are there in Michaels great guitar work. COLD ONES is the fourth song on the album, and unbelievably its not about beer! I was just as shocked to hear that Michael is in fact trying to “hide from the cold ones” so I’m guessing the song is more about something like white walkers rather than refreshing beverages. Either way its another stunning retro soundtrack with, get this, a saxophone solo!! What could be more 80’s inspired than that? All in all it’s another sing along, stadium ready, super synthesised masterpiece.

The one thing this album has lacked thus far is a moving, passionate love song, but wait for it because here it comes… ELEONORA! This is what I call a love song. The type to blast from a boombox held above your head at two in the morning, wearing your best leather jacket with tears in your eyes trying to win back your first love. The kind to slow dance to with that special someone. All you heavy metal fans may be howling for speed and noise, but this beautiful (if somewhat cheesy – but let’s be honest what is romance without cheese?) love song delivers brilliant melodic style, heaps of wonderful guitar playing and emotional lyrics. Okay okay enough with the love songs I hear you cry, and apparently Michael heard you too, because following hot on the heels of ELEONORA comes HOT STEEL! This racing, guitar driven, head banging track brings the metal back to the album in great style. Lyrics about driving? Check. in love with your car? Check. Turbo laser beams and gleaming chrome, enough to make you blow a fuse? Check! The guitar work is as scorching hot as the title suggests, with a fast and furious solo and a pounding driving riff that will have you speeding along the highway in no time.

MY GRAY CLOUD is a slower but more complex track, the only problem with it, that it follows such a fast-paced tune. For this reason, it seems to lack a little something special and go on a little too long, but again the musicianship on display is fantastic, the song writing is spot on and is a worthwhile listen. The faster bridge and finish are a nice break and another example of Michael knowing exactly what he is doing. Track eight ORIGIN OF LOVE begins with some cheeky guitar chops and has such a sing along, Bryan-Adams-esque chorus it’s difficult to believe that he did not write it! And really is that not praise enough? I do like this track, even if it is another cheesy love song. Like the rest of the album, it’s just so damn catchy! Speaking of love songs, you can’t move for them at this point in the album. SHE’S SO ORIGINAL is another heartfelt guitar driven, synthesised masterpiece aimed at the heart. The fact that the song is original in todays musical world only makes it that much better, I mean how many bands are putting out retro sounding goodness like this? Modern artists take heed, this is how you write a love song.

STRICTLY BY THE RULES channels a fantastic ‘Power Of Love’ and ‘Hip To Be Square’ vibe that could have been written for Marty McFly to skate around town to. This song captures that 80’s nostalgia so well, it’s difficult to believe it was not written back then! Does this album come on cassette? WHEN ITS OVER starts with a little bit more funk than the other tracks on the album, laying down a driving boogie that makes you want to move. All these songs need to be used in a movie or TV show set in the 80’s and this has to be the track playing whilst the main character does the obligatory training montage. The final song on the album FIGHT is the last inspiring burst of joy from this album of wonderful highs. The lyrics, the guitar playing, the melody, everything about this song screams victory over our challenges, be they physical or psychological ones. These uplifting tracks raise your spirit and your mood, and following with the 80’s movie theme, this would definitely be the song that plays after the main character wins the competition/saves the day/gets the girl and of course becomes the very best.

In conclusion, Michael Palace has set out to create a wonderful, joy filled and retro themed album showcasing his brilliant skill and bringing a little light to the dark world of rock and roll. In this I believe he has surpassed all his goals and expectations! This is a stunning album, and one of my favourites to listen to whilst driving, especially at night. This is a real mood booster of an album, the songs are so catchy, so sing-along-able and so uplifting that you cannot feel sad after listening to them! my only critique is that the production quality of the vocals on tracks 2-12 don’t seem as good as on the title track, and when I play them in my car they sound like they were recorded without a pop filter, so some vocals sound a little strange… However if the recording quality across the album was as good as the title track then I would not hesitate to score 10/10 because I absolutely love it! This music may not be the most heavy metal recorded, but it is a retro sounding shot of happiness, and let’s be honest, don’t we all need a little joy and sunshine in our lives right now?

TRACKLIST

Rock And Roll Radio
Castaway
Way Up Here
Cold Ones
Eleonora
Hot Steel
My Gray Cloud
Origin Of Love
She’s So Original
Strictly By The Rules
When It’s over
Fight

https://www.facebook.com/palacesweden

This review is property of British Steel Sam and Metal Gods TV. It is strictly prohibited to copy any part of this review, unless you have both of the parties permission, or are part of the band/record label/PR company in question. Failure to adhere to these instructions will be considered as plagiarism and you will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

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