What is it with Sweden and Swedish bands doing everything better than everyone else? You can take any form of music and there will be a Swedish band at the top of the tree doing it better than anyone. Skagarack were around for 4 years from ’86 to ’90, and they were purveyors of the finest AOR soft rock. This is the first album from ’86, and the band were fronted by Torben Schmidt, who would later go on to have his own management company, Thunderstruck Productions (that would look after Freak Kitchen amongst others).
The band play rock with big hooks, big melodies, and catchy sing-along choruses -just like Night Ranger and Survivor. Move It In The Night is the opening track and is the best track on the album with a big chorus and great melody. Saying is another great tune, a bit more up-tempo and rockin’ whilst the emphasis is still on the song. Damned Woman is a slow plodder of a tune, but it does have a nice solo. Side 2 opener, Don’t Turn Me Upside Down, is a decent melodic rock tune that bands more established than them would have died to have written. Victim Of The System is the big production number on the album, but I think it falls a bit short and sounds forced. Double Crossed rocks out the record in fine style. My one major criticism of this record is that the production is a bit flat and needs a good dose of oomph to lift it.
8/10 from The Grooveman.
