October 15, 2021

SONG REVIEW 🎵📝 Hardland - Bomb Shelter



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Hardland - Bomb Shelter
Rock, AOR/Melodic Rock, Alternative
Utrecht, Netherlands




Overall Impression: Filled to the brim with superb performances, inspired songwriting, and enough riffs to fill a stadium twice over, "Bomb Shelter" is a highly melodic and brilliantly produced melodic rocker that blends its clear 80's inspired inspirations with an interesting contemporary edge. Having grown up listening to the genre, it was great to hear a band like HARDLAND managing to effortlessly capture that classic melodic rock and metal feel with both confidence and assuredness, the result is a catchy and hard-hitting anthem that is both tremendously gripping and well crafted.


Strongest Point(s): The performances are certainly a standout and you can really tell there is a great sense of camaraderie between the individual band members. There is a clear artistic vision that is undoubtedly shared by each and every musician in the group, and this makes for an authentic and extremely engaging performance that feels both mature and accomplished. From the powerful lead vocals and commanding guitar to the marvelously expressive synth and strong rhythmic backbone provided by the drums and bass, all elements are working in perfect tandem, culminating in an extremely well-rehearsed and exciting display of musicianship. The arrangement is another particularly strong element of the track, and a great deal of thought and consideration has clearly gone into how sections transition between one another and how parts are carefully layered, and this helps provide plenty of contrast throughout. The intro begins with a beautifully ambient and sparse texture that contains soft synth pads and delicate guitar arpeggios before kicking in full force with distorted guitar, bombastic drums, and animated synth arpeggios. Contrast such as this help keep the arrangement feeling fresh and exciting from start to finish and there are plenty of examples throughout that solidify this point. Great songwriting and superb performances are nicely packaged within a very strong production that ensures all elements are well balanced and distinct, ensuring the mix has a great amount of polish to it without losing character.


Target Audience Appeal: This is definitely one for lovers of hard melodic rock and 80's inspired classic metal.


Artist target suggestions: Magnum, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Gothard, Dokken, Great White, RATT, Winger, Tesla, Night Ranger, Def Leppard, Y&T, Europe, Loudness, Triumph, TOTO, Fair Warning, Kingdom Come

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About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students both learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and how to become proficient in home recording.