Satin - Appetition (Album Review)

Satin is a Scandanavian vocalist who has been on the melodic rock scene since 2014. Here in the states it's almost impossible to get information about some of these up and coming artists from this region of the world. And Satin hasn't released an album in 5 years. But for those who crave singable melodic rock with gigantic hooks and fluent guitar solos, this might be the best album of 2022. What sets this collection apart is the level of quality songwriting and minimalist arrangements. Thus the listener can hear the lush background vocals and the layers of keyboards and guitars. 

Right out of the gate "Going Your Way" grabs your attention with a vocal intro followed by a melody that is upbeat and captivating. "Angels Come, Angels Go" is a classic semi-power ballad with real piano coupled with an echoey vocal effect and complimentary electric guitar fills. This music is like candy compared to some of the darker minor key flavored melodic rock of today's scene. "Waiting For Another Man" has a nice flow to it with interesting chord changes that never borrow from something you've heard before. The guitar solo on this one is particularly impressive.

"Everybody Needs To Be Loved" opens with an enormous hook and never lets up. Satin subscribes to the school of memorable intros, guitar solos and cold fade outs. This would have fit nicely on a rock or top-40 station in 1989. Again, the guitar solo is totally effective. Satin's vocals are friendly and accessible throughout. He doesn't seem to be angry or hold a grudge against the world. This is music for music's sake. "A Dream Coming True" marks off the power ballad box with clean, rich instrumentation. The bass and drums are right up front. And the chorus soars big. The acoustic guitar parts are a bit overzealous which adds to the bigness of the melody. This is Bon Jovi but better! Satin fuses a lite AOR sound with a more robust orchestral influence. It must have taken 5 years to flesh out all these ideas and create these memorable songs.

"Looking At You" is a sugary 80's rocker. The drums establish a great beat and tempo and Satin lays down an almost funky vocal lick. It's part west coast rock with a bit more gusto. Think Toto when they rock out a bit. The guitars and keyboards compete for your headphone attention. The sugar rush is totally welcome. The a cappella ending is classic. "Pearly Gates" establishes another massive hook which has you bobbing and rocking. In fact there is a bop quotient if that is a thing, that runs through the more uptempo songs on Appetition. As I listen to this album I think back to that legendary pop rock band Diesel who had a similar album called "Watts In A Tank". It was song after song of super creative music. And this record has a similar feeling to it. 

"Jenny (I'm Bringing You Down)" starts as a sparse ballad that employs more orchestral effects before transitioning to an upbeat rocker. Satin's vocals adapt nicely to the mood swing. It's a curve ball that ends up being another home run. There's even some Brian May-ish guitar work on the solo. As good as all the songs have been thus far, as a former radio guy, I'd pick "Still Waiting" with it's stellar keyboard flourishes and it's solid rhythm guitar work. It just chugs along like a song trying to push other songs out of the way. The guitar solo outros like guitar solos used to do back in the day. "Fight Again" begins like a  hair metal glam rock track. It then gravitates between pop and metal and again like every song on this record makes a powerful melodic statement. 

Few albums deliver at this level. The melodies are just better. In fact these are 10 perfect songs. No album has gotten a 10 this year until now. Satin has created a melodic rock masterpiece for the ages.

Album Rating 10.0