Christian Liljegren - Melodic Passion Review

Before starting to write this review I had a hintch that this name was familiar. So, I went for the press release and I found that Christian Liljegren was really someone I’ve heard about. Look what I found in the press release. The man was the vocalist and frontman of bands as Narnia, The Waymaker, Audiovision, Divinefire, Golden Resurrection, Wisdom Call, Flagship, Modest Attraction, and Borderline to name a few. To name a few? Is there any more? Good golly!

You my child of the night knows that I always say that albums names tell a lot of the album and its music. “Melodic Passion” couldn’t be far from this truth. The album is deeply rooted under Ritchie Blackmore’s umbrella of influences as Deep Purple and later Rainbow. Therefore, it’s possible to say that Yngwie Malmsteen is also a great influence not only to the guitars, but also to the melody and instrumentals. And above all, it’s deeply linked to a Classical Music tradition that was translated into Heavy Rock/Metal by these guitarists. The album could also be considered into the Neoclassical umbrella with a more melodic grip. Stephen Carlsson tells us this story for he is deeply and honestly influenced by the great Ritchie Blackmore’s. By the way, I loved his guitar tone. As far as I’m concerned, “Melodic Passion” fills a gap into Metal Music world as it sounds as Rainbow used to in Dio’s era. Just between you and me, the best era of Rainbow.

As I said before, Classical Music is a great influence in “Melodic Passion.” The barroque, for instance, is present in songs as “This Is My Love Song” with its intro using the mellow and sweet harpsichord. Following track, “The Victory” uses a deceptive intro as it fires up with a classical keyboard tone to burst into an angry guitar riff followed by a ferocious vocal. I guess “The Victory” is the heaviest track of the album. And there goes all the album mixing these influences and bouncing them as it pleases Christian Liljegren.

“Melodic Passion” brings the fan all heart and passion it’s possible to pass on an album. All songs were carefully assembled to reflect this spirit of passion and ardor for music. Christian Liljegren recorded the album to commemorate his 50th birthday and his 35 years of career as a vocalist. So, congrats. The album is great and reflects it.

Christian Liljegren “Melodic Passion” was released on March 26th via Melodic Passion.

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