Astral Doors, Lion's Share, Civil War, and Wuthering Heights vocalist extraordinaire Nils Patrik Johansson has finally released his first actual solo album, titled Evil Deluxe for Metalville Records. Proclaimed as an album that 'brings us back to the true roots of heavy metal', Evil Deluxe certainly isn't lacking in bombast, heavy riffs, and Johannson's histrionic vocals. Helping the vocalist out on his maiden solo voyage are:
Lars Chriss - guitars
Nils Fredrik Johansson - drums
Anders "Andy" Loos - bass
Marcus Bengts - bass
Fredrik Bergh - keyboards
Kay Backlund - keyboards
Anuviel - keyboards
Chris Boltendahl (Grave Digger) -guest vocals
Basically, if you love Johansson's work in Astral Doors, chances are Evil Deluxe is going to be for you. His 'higher pitched Ronnie James Dio-meets- David Coverdale' styled vocals are front and center here, accompanied by plenty of bombast and classic metal/hard rock riffing. Some tunes approach Euro-power metal cheese, such as "Gasoline" and the title cut, but snarling cutssongs "How the West Was One", "Estonia", "September Black", "Kings and Queens", and the silly but potent "Metalhead" show the vocalist in fine form, spewing his venom and laying everything to waste at his feet. "Circle in the Sky" even has some vintage Rainbow elements that are pretty epic and will have you longing for more of the same. As strong as most of this album is, some might find much of the material here a tad over the top, and truth be told it almost sounds as if Johansson is trying just a bit too hard in spots, but he's still unleashed a pretty lethal first solo album that once again displays his superior vocal ability amid a very solid classic metal framework. Can't really go wrong with that!
Track Listing
- Baal 0:32
- Evil Deluxe 3:59
- Estonia 7:49
- Gasoline 5:14
- How the West Was Won 6:38
- September Black 5:54
- Kings and Queens 4:09
- Burning 4:17
- Metalhead 4:01
- Circle in the Sky 4:54
- Dark Evolution 4:39
- A Waltz For Paris 5:32
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