Review Summary: A trip down memory lane.
The concept of innovation in music has been a much discussed one, especially over the last few years where an increasing number of bands have been releasing material labeled as “retro rock”. Horisont is one of those acts that worship the giants who walked the earth by integrating a number of influences to their brand of hard rock.
Nevertheless, what characterized their material up until now was a non-solidified approach which might have been a sign of a lack of identity or direction.
Tva Sidor Av Horisonten for example, was more bluesy and raw, influenced by the likes of Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath while on
Time Warriors they tried to play a style of music similar to their compatriots Graveyard. One constant, though, was their adoration towards Thin Lizzy which became even more apparent on
Odyssey which was too long for its own good and somewhat unfocused.
About Time is the Swedish outfit’s fifth release (first one under Century Media) and even though it hardly contains material which an experienced hasn’t heard before, it still is a fairly enjoyable listen. The reason for this is that Horisont have enriched their palette of influences with keyboard heavy AOR/pomp rock/mid-'70s prog which they combine with solid songwriting. For example, “Night Line” brings to mind Status Quo especially with its opening and, consciously or not, evolves to a tribute to Thin Lizzy after the 2:30 mark. The same applies for the Foreigner-reminiscent “Without Warning” with its dual guitar solo. Going back to the mid-'70s prog elements, “Point of Return” will definitely bring Rush to numerous listeners with a hint of Kansas. Overall, the album feels quite cinematic, which is enhanced by its opener and closer; “The Hive” is a semi-prog cover of the song that was written by Jimmy Webb and performed by Richard Harris in 1969 whereas “About Time”, the LP’s longest track, is a quasi-ballad which develops to an epic with some beautiful melodies.
As far as AOR is concerned, “Boston Gold” might bring to you mind bands like Boston and Nazareth while “Hungry Love” oozes of early Scorpions with its psychedelic rock and an Eloy-esque Moog synth passage near the end. As a whole,
About Time features some very well-performed dual guitar playing which is evident on tracks such as “Electrical” with a solo that may remind Michael Schenker or the catchy “Dark Sides”. Finally, as with almost every Horisont release, there is one song which is their mother tongue and this time it’s “Letare”.
Interestingly enough, even though
About Time consists of material that we have been exposed to various times, the sheer number of influences and the way Horisont incorporate them into their sound, doesn’t let the album feel like a rehash. The Swedish outfit lives in another period and it’s not surprising that the lyrics of the LP deal with time travel. And despite the lack of originality, the warm production which features an audible bass combined with a great sense of melody throughout, make for an enjoyable listen. No filler is contained on here but it remains to be seen if any of these songs will stand the test of time.
