Anyone who, even casually, follows the current burgeoning melodic rock scene will know just how important the Scandinavian countries are to keeping AOR, melodic rock, and hair metal alive in the 21st Century. AOR etc. was always very traditionally an American export. Many of the big acts of that ilk that were topping the charts in the 1980s were from the USA, but most of the hungry new bands that are keeping the flame burning in 2020 are from Europe - and Sweden in particular. Sweden's H.E.A.T released one of the best melodic rock albums of the year back in February (H.E.A.T II, which I reviewed here), as did The Night Flight Orchestra which saw Björn 'Speed' Strid and co. turning in fine performances on Aeromantic (which I also reviewed here). Scandinavian AOR has therefore already had something of a good outing in 2020, but in my view there is always room for plenty more. The latest Swedish AOR export to grace 2020 with their presence are Perfect Plan, a band who I have been aware of for a couple of years but had not made an effort to check out properly until recently. I remember the band's 2018 debut album All Rise receiving solid reviews on its release a couple of years ago, but nothing really compelled me to actually give it a listen. Fast forward to 2020 however and, for whatever reason, I decided to check out one of the band's new singles and I really enjoyed what I heard. I imagine that it was recommended for me on Youtube as the band are on Frontiers Records, but I am glad that I decided to click on the link as the song that was contained within was a great slab of pure AOR. I decided that the band's second album Time for a Miracle was worth a pre-order on the strength of the single, and it is an album that I have been enjoying quite a lot over the past month. Time for a Miracle is an album that wears its influences on its sleeve. It is an AOR album pure and simple, and its sound and style is deeply rooted in the mid-1980s. Both the H.E.A.T and The Night Flight Orchestra albums that I mentioned previously have mixed their AOR influences with other sounds (hard rock and prog respectively), but Time for a Miracle at times just sounds like a long-lost Survivor album - especially when considering frontman Kent Hilli's uncanny resemblance to the late Jimi Jamison. Considering that Survivor have not released an album since 2006 however, this is no bad thing. Anyone who wants a new good-time album packed with soaring hooks, gorgeous ballads, and summer beats is sure to enjoy Time for a Miracle. It is certainly not original, but it is not supposed to be - and it really sounds like the band had a great time writing and recording these songs. Four of the five that created All Rise return on Time for a Miracle, with new bassist Mats Byström the only new face - although previous bassist P-O Sedin is credited with co-writing a number of songs featured here.
The great thing about Time for a Miracle is just how easy listening it is. This is not deep music that requires a lot of attention, but the numerous hooks and soaring vocals really help to hold the interest. While the album generally sits at the lighter end of the AOR spectrum, the band still know how to rock out when required; and the album's title track that kicks things is one such moment. It is certainly one of the riffier songs here, and guitarist Rolf Nordström really makes his presence felt from the off. It is often left to keyboardist Leif Ehlin to come up with the songs' main melodies, but Nordström's crunchy riffing dominates the album's opening number. Ehlin's keyboards and Fredrik Forsberg's marching drums do set an atmospheric tone early on; but the song gets going proper once the guitars kick in. It is a song with a lot of weight. Nordström's guitar tone is packed full of crunch, while Byström's bass is high in the mix. Dramatic keyboards and punchy drums add to the overall ambiance; but perhaps the standout player here is Hilli. He is easily the band's secret weapon, as he is, in my opinion, one of the best modern AOR singers. His smooth tone is perfectly suited for the genre, but here he injects some convincing grit into his voice - which really helps add to the song's overall drama. Despite the heaviness, the song still contains a soaring AOR chorus - the first of many here - that demonstrates Hilli's knack for conjuring up a catchy hook. Better Walk Alone was the single that convinced me to pre-order the album, which should give you a clue that it is a smooth, melodic slab of AOR. Despite the blatant ripping off of a Foreigner lyric, which is a bit on the nose even for a band who sound like Perfect Plan, the song acts as a great introduction. Nordström's guitar takes more of a backseat here, providing crunchy rhythms, with Ehlin's keyboards providing the song's melodies. The pompy keyboard riff is similar to many that you have likely heard before, but it is still extremely satisfying. AOR is not the most original of genres generally, but providing the hooks are there I will always enjoy it. There are, thankfully, plenty of them here - with a catchy chorus providing a good centrepiece - and Nordström takes the opportunity towards the end to show off with a fluid, shredded guitar solo. Heart to Stone picks up the pace somewhat and injects some energy into the album - but the heaviness of the title track is not fully revisited. The smoothness of the band's core sound is maintained, but with a little more 'oomph' - which works well. There is a lot more guitar and interplay this time around, which is welcome. Ehlin's atmospheric keyboards dominate certain parts of the track, before knotty Nordström melodies take over to push the song towards an urgent, yet hooky, chorus. There are better songs here, but as an enjoyable, but punchy, piece of AOR the song is still a success. Fighting to Win is the album's first ballad, and it is also the song where Hilli's resemblance to Jamison is the most apparent. His tone and way of singing are almost identical - and I would have assumed that this was a long-lost Jamison performance if I had heard it blind. Imagine Survivor's Man Against the World and that is essentially what Fighting to Win is - even some of the melodies are quite similar. Ehlin dominates here with emotional, rolling piano melodies; while the rest of the band largely just create a rhythm underneath to keep Hilli's vocals within the groove. A Nordström guitar solo provides a slight change of pace, providing a short burst of melodic bluesy playing, but on the whole this a song that focuses more on the piano and Hilli's excellent vocal performance.
Every Time We Cry is a little heavier than many of the songs here, but it still does not quite reach the crunch and drama of the album's opening number. A catchy Nordström riff drives the song, while Forsberg's punchy drumming creates a bit of energy, but the synth leads and melodies from Ehlin stop the track from sounding too meaty. There always seems to a great balance between harder rock and pure pop in Perfect Plan's sound - which is what makes their brand of old-school AOR a real winner. Another thing that I really like about the band's sound is that there always seems to be room for a Nordström solo. While his playing might not always dominate the sound in a way thay would be expected from a rock act, his tasteful style is perfect for the band. He knows when his riffs need to take centre stage, and when to hold back to allow the keyboard melodies to take the lead. His solos are always perfectly phrased too, with the short effort here speeding things up slightly to allow for a little bit of tasteful shredding within what is a punchy and memorable track. What About Love is similar, and continues on the punchier vibe established on Every Time We Cry. Ehlin's ringing piano helps to drive the song forward, while Byström's pounding bass keeps the song moving at a slick pace. Crashing guitar chords help to accentuate some of the more dramatic moments of the song; but the real winner here for me is Hilli. He shines in every song here, but this one might contain his best vocal performance. A little bit of the grit from the opening number is present during some of the melodies here, but elsewhere he truly soars. The chorus is easily one of the album's catchiest moments, with the vocal melodies grabbing you from the off and never letting go. Again it sounds a long-lost Survivor moment, with shades of Jamison once again hanging heavily over the song. Nordström's solo even apes some of the chorus melodies - which really ties everything together nicely. Nobody's Fool goes for more of a bluesy approach, with a sloppy side guitar intro setting the tone perfectly before Nordström's main riff kicks in as the song goes for something of an 1980s Aerosmith vibe. It is one of the most guitar-heavy songs here, with Ehlin's keyboards largely just providing an atmosphere. Nordström seems to relish his time in the spotlight here, his bluesy riffing roaring out of the speakers while Hilli goes for a dirtier vocal approach to fit with the heavier overall sound. The song sounds quite different to most of the rest of the album, but the style works well for the band. AOR bands of the past sometimes took this rootsier approach, and Perfect Plan here show that they are more than capable of rocking out a little harder. Living on the Run sounds like it is going to be another tougher track, as it opens up with some distant weighty guitar chords, but in truth the song is a return to the band's core AOR sound. Sparse, atmospheric verses mix well here with energetic and pomp-filled choruses to create a hooky and enjoyable song that essentially showcases Perfect Plan at their most natural. There are catchier songs here, but this is a good example of the band's core sound. There is possibly a bit more guitar here than in some of the band's songs, but on the whole this is quintessential Perfect Plan despite not reaching the heights the band have shown that they are capable of.
Just One Wish is also quintessential Perfect Plan, but it is also one of the album's best cuts in my opinion. While all of the songs here have memorable hooks (there is not one song on this album that I feel is outright weak) this one is jam packed full of them - and has the perfect AOR song structure. Like the previous song, the verses are somewhat sparse to allow Hilli's vocals to shine - before the band explode into a chorus to really take things to the next level. There are lots of memorable choruses here, but a few really are top level - and this is one of them. Ehlin's keyboard riff during the chorus just adds that extra level of melody to make it stand out - and Hilli is really singing out of his skin here. The song sounds like a long-lost 1980s AOR classic, and that is certainly what the band is going for - so that is probably the best compliment that I can pay it! Don't Blame It On Love Again continues on with showcasing the band's core AOR sound, but this is more akin to Living on the Run than Just One Wish. It does not quite reach the level of quality that Just One Wish does, but there are still plenty of huge hooks here to be found. The chorus is instantly catchy, and the pompous keyboards really cut through the mix to compliment Nordström's somewhat tougher guitar riffs. There are better songs here, but it is another strong cut that makes this an album that continues to deliver the goods with every number. Give a Little Lovin' is certainly one of the more harder rocking tracks here, but the riffing does not detract at all from the melodies. In fact, I actually wish that there were a couple more songs like this here. While the core Perfect Plan AOR sound is a winning formula, there are quite a few songs here that sound quite similar. Give a Little Lovin' certainly stands out due to its riffier nature, but the same level of hooks are still present. The song actually reminds me a little of the aforementioned H.E.A.T II album that I raved about back earlier in the year - with pacey hard rock mixing perfectly with soaring AOR to create an energetic, yet catchy, few minutes of music. It certainly gives the album a bit of an injection of grit after three very similar tracks which, for me, is welcome. The album comes to a close with Don't Leave Me Here Alone, another soaring ballad that is very much the antithesis to Give a Little Lovin'. It is only the album's second true ballad, after Fighting to Win, and the relative scarcity of them here ensures that they both really hit home. A common criticism of AOR albums, both classic and new, is that there are sometimes too many ballads - so I am glad that Perfect Plan only wrote two here, as both are fantastic and hit harder as a result. The chorus features some of Hilli's most emotionally-charged vocals on the album, while Nordström's rendition of the same melodies as part of his guitar solo elevates them further. It might seem strange to end the album on a ballad, but I think it works well. Lots of great albums end on a slower note, particularly those released during the vinyl era, and this soaring, dramatic ballad is great way for the Swedes to close out their second release. Overall, Time for a Miracle is a really enjoyable collection of modern AOR songs that certainly does what it set out to do. While many of the songs do sound quite similar to each other, and a couple more high-energy pieces would be welcome, it is clear that Perfect Plan are going to become one of the go-to acts for those of us who love all of the AOR classics of the 1980s. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for a copy of the band's debut album, and I will be looking forward to where the band go from here.
The album was released on 4th September 2020 via Frontiers Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Better Walk Alone.
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