Superhero By State of Salazar Is The Best Album of 2018

State of Salazar Is:

Marcus Nygren-Vocals
Kevin Hosford-Keyboards and Vocals
Johan Thurasson-Guitar
Johannas Hansson-Bass
Kristian Brun-Drums

Frontiers is a busy Italian record label that is now ground zero for the melodic rock world. They throw a lot of stuff at the wall and some of it sticks. A few weeks ago a band from their label caught my attention. This happens often. But this time with much more force. The song that grabbed my ears was "My Heart Is At War". What made this song different was the classy adult rock vibe coupled with a complete melodic concept from beginning to end. The problem with a lot of today's new melodic rock is it's melodic content is lacking. You often hear the same hook over and over again. Or the hooks are so small it just runs in a straight line. It's like driving a road with small curves instead of large twists and turns.

This "new" band is now on their second major label album. (The band did have an EP prior to their 2014 album for Frontiers) They are known as State of Salazar. And they are from Sweden. A lot of the new music I am enjoying is from places like Sweden, Denmark, The Czech Republic and Italy. It seems they take older American music seriously and use it as a jump off point for the new stuff they are creating.

Superhero is the title of SOS's new album and it's a brilliant, classy undertaking. The lead off track, "If You Wait For Me" was one of the early singles and is as strong as the aforementioned "My Heart Is At War". Another thing that sets this material apart is the stellar, precise musicianship. Lead singer Marcus Nygren might remind you of Toto's Joseph Williams. In fact the whole project has a Toto on steroids vibe. Nygren carries notes high into the upper atmosphere. He pours himself into the songs and possesses a voice that is clean, powerful and rich.

The third single, "Hold On Tonight" captures a fresh take on 1985, even employing some syn-drums along with real ones. Kristian Brun is behind the drum kit and his style recalls a time when precision was in vogue as opposed to just flashiness. The production on "Superhero" should be a blueprint for more bands. The sound is crisp and clear and free from compression and gimmickry. Keyboardist Kevin Hosford does a great job on this record. His work on "Masquerade", a song which comprises a lot of the more sophisticated west coast keyboard sounds, is just a joy to listen to.

Hosford shares vocal duties on "She's A Loaded Gun". The mix of the two singers recalls the way Bobby Kimball and Steve Lukather used to duel it out in Toto. Toto would be the most obvious band to compare these guys to. But there are also elements of Survivor, Alias and Pride of Lions. "Lie To Me" is a piano based duet with an unknown female singer. It sounds like something Journey might attempt  without the wonderful lady's vocals. The concept hearkens back to the days of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. Ballads like this have mostly become a thing of the past and this one is a welcome throwback for this reviewer. In addition to the fact that it's a bit of a tear jerker.

"Joanne" recalls an early 80's vocal purity and some very catchy answer back vocals. A nice hunk of ear candy complete with a dreamy melodic guitar solo. "Someone I Know" is another fine song with a complete hook and both feet planted in the Toto tradition. The guitar solo, again, is a work of art. "To The Wire" has Kevin Hosford singing and playing a funky keyboard riff along with some fine soloing to create a fusion of Survivor and Earth Wind and Fire. Hosford actually sounds a bit like a young Dave Bickler. Check the box for west coast rock gem on that one.

"Love Will Find A Way" is another terrific power ballad in the tradition of REO Speedwagon or Chicago and even has a great sax part. The album ends with "Superhero", the title track. Another duet between Marcus and Kevin. Lyrically it might be the sequel to Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero". The song itself is more of a rocker with some keyboard flourishes and great tempo changes.

A truly satisfying journey from start to finish. There are no bad tracks. No filler. In fact this could be the best AOR record I've heard in years. This is a sound many bands try, but there is always something lacking. It's usually the material or the production. I would take a chance and guess that these boys worked long and hard on this project. Their last record was in 2014. Hopefully they won't wait four more years before following this one up. Five stars. Best album of 2018 in this category. Not even close.