Nubian rose – Mental revolution

Swedish band Nubian Rose released their debut album (Mountain) in 2012.  It was a great rock album, and now two years on they’ve jsut released their second album, Mental Revolution.  From the moment you hit play it’s clear that this is a very different album to “Mountain”. This new album is much more of a guitar-driven hard rock album.  This really is a heavier album than the first one.  The album is a step up in quality all round – the guitars are louder and more in your face, the vocals are better than ever, and the production is excellent with everything sounding clear and sharp.

Brief comments on a few tracks…

The album kicks off with war.  It’s got a soft choral intro and that soft angelic introduction is quickly proved to be deceptive as the drums kick in followed by the guitars and then Sofia lets loose with her vocals.  It’s a great start to the album and the harder sound really gives Sofia a chance to show what she can do vocally.

The first song to be released from the album is “Break out” – check out the video below.  It gives a good idea of what to expect from the album with the new heavier guitar-led sound.

“You will walk alone” is the ballad on the album.  With a piano introduction and a softer guitar sound, Sofia’s vocals range from a softer sound to a louder more emotional sound during the course of the song.  It’s a good song and adds a nice bit of variety to the album but without moving too far from the rock sound.

I’d expected “All of your love” to be another ballad based on the title, but it’s very definitely a rock song (and a good one at that).

This is a great album, and in my opinion is far superior to the debut album.  Definitely well worth a listen.

Track listing:

1. War
2. Time again
3. Illuminated within
4. The eye
5. Tough duys don’t dance
6. Break out
7. Higher
8. You will never walk alone
9. (Taking this) Further
10. All of your love

Nubian rose are:

Sofia Lilja Åkerlund – vocals
Christer Åkerlund – lead guitar
Simeon Liljegren – bass
Thomas Weijnesjö – Drums