Album Review — Eclipse

Eclipse — Paradigm

What makes a perfect album? When you think of your favorite records, what makes them your favorite? Is it just the songs? Or is it more than that? Maybe there are memories attached to hearing the album. Maybe it’s a particular theme or feel of the record that makes it stand out. There are certain things about music that are concrete, but for the most part, music is subjective.

For me, much of it is about standing the test of time. Will this be something I want to listen to next year, or in five years, or twenty? That’s hard to do after one week of listening to a record. I can tell from the first listen if I like it, but rarely can I tell if I truly love it.

This was one of those rare weeks.

Eclipse is a Swedish band featuring Erik Martensson. You may not know who Martensson is, but he’s been in quite a few bands. He is in W.E.T. with Jeff Scott Soto and Nordic Union with Ronnie Atkins. But Eclipse is his band that has been going for nearly twenty years.

In the other bands Martensson mostly sticks to guitars and songwriting, but with Eclipse he takes lead vocals. And as much as I like those other bands and vocalists, Martensson is quite a singer himself and his vocals are center stage on Paradigm along with his tremendous songwriting talent.

I’m not exactly sure how to describe the music style. Maybe the best way is to say it sounds like your favorite 80s bands but updated. It’s modern day arena rock. Huge hooks, soaring guitars and fantastic vocals that all make you want to throw your fist in the air.

Usually I star the best songs on the record at the end of the review, but I would have to star them all so I’ll just go through them track by track and describe what I think is the best album of the year by far.

Viva La Victoria — A very short intro breaks with a Guns’ N Roses type whistle and we are off and running. “Viva La Victoria” is an all out anthem rocker. I was singing along with the chorus on my first listen. The song features a cool breakdown before the solo. Great way to start the record.

Mary Leigh — This is a very guitar forward record. “Mary Leigh” is no exception. I really like Martensson’s vocal delivery. Big hooks here as well. Another great track.

Blood Wants Blood — If anyone could complain about the record, I could see someone saying the songs have a similar feel to them in the sense they are mostly rockers with big hooks. They wouldn’t be wrong, but how is that a bad thing? We get more big hooks and lots of guitars again. I really like the construction of these songs. Some of the moments between verses and choruses and intros to solos are very interesting. It breaks up the verse, chorus, verse, chorus that can get a little monotonous.

Shelter Me — Simply put, this is the best song of the year and it’s really not close. The emotion of this song hits me every time. For me, music is at its best when it conveys something, and this song leaves an impression. It’s a slightly slower paced song but incredibly impactful. Martensson’s vocal work is stunning. Truly a fantastic track.

United — We are back to arena rock big time with “United”. An acoustic guitar/drum intro gives way to walls of guitars and a fist raising beat with huge group vocals. I imagine this one will be played at soccer games across Sweden.

Delirious — While each song features guitars and hooks, they each go about getting there is slightly different ways. Delirious takes some time to build but then it hits and doesn’t stop. There’s something about Martensson’s songs — they are so driving without losing the sense of melody. The guitar solo is Malmsteen-esque but fits within the song.

When The Winter Ends — More tasty riffs and huge choruses with “When The Winter Ends”. The songs are so good that I almost feel like some of them get lost. At no point do I feel let down as every song delivers.

.38 or .44 — A cool drum intro and heavy guitar riff open “.38 Or .44.” I love that the band takes on gun violence and the intense and heavy feel of the song is perfect for the topic. I’m a fan of bands that can take on current issues. Well done.

Never Gonna Be Like You — Another run of the mill rocker with big hooks that makes you want to sing along. Ho hum.

The Masquerade — Maybe the most interesting song on the record, “The Masquerade” has a bit of an epic feel to it. More fantastic vocals from Martensson and another gang vocal chorus. Another fantastic track.

Take Me Home — To close it out, we get a song about longing for home that somehow doesn’t come off as cheesy. Maybe the best thing I can say about this band is that I believe them. They have an authenticity in their music and that goes a long way with me.

I was very much looking forward to this record and this record passes my very high expectations. There are still a few records I’m looking forward to until the end of the year, including a couple of my favorite bands, but this record has set an impressive bar.

The only real debate I’ve had about this record is whether to give it a perfect score or not. Time will be the true test, but at this point, there’s no other record I want to listen to and that’s enough for me.

100 out of 100

Track Listing

1. Viva La Victoria
2. Mary Leigh
3. Blood Wants Blood
4. Shelter Me
5. United
6. Delirious
7. When The Winter Ends
8. .38 Or .44
9. Never Gonna Be Like You
10. The Masquerade
11. Take Me Home

*Best Songs