Sweden’s next big thing in the middle of the last decade returns with its fifth studio album, “Rust”, ending a 6 year interval. The band, which has suffered greatly in recent years – after the Leppard era – losing its orientation, found its new guiding light in singer Gabriel Keyes. Amidst a constant up and down, the rugged trinity (Martin Sweet, Peter London, Eric Young), who has spent more than 15 years in the musical realm, is once again the foundation of the band.
The loss of an emblematic frontman has brought uncertainty and Simon Cruz’s – not so successful – tenure has put a very strong asset of Swedish music on “hybernation mode”. Personally, I shouted out a big ‘Welcome Back’ when listening to the album because the music they offer is worthy of both their name and talent. RUST is mature, warm and perhaps the most melodic of all. Does it miss the swagger, the wittiness and the motherfucking of the glory years? Sure it does some times, but the hardcore fans will hurry to doubt.
I believe that “Crazy” and “In The Maze” accurately reflect Crashdiet of 2019. Perhaps this change of course was also due to the “competitors”. The production company, once again, exhibits the same symptoms of fatigue and repetition, but no one will now go against the successful monopoly.
With the aura and experience they will resurface high in the starting position, but their absence seems relentless to make the headlines once again. Yes, the children of the final frontier are no longer the revolutionaries, but in a country with a brilliant tradition and an ever-resurgent music industry, the time has come to separate the wheat from chaff.