To be honest, I didn’t expect Sweet Oblivion to come back so soon. I thought that the previous album with the same title was something like a project and a plan by the Italians to promote their name using Tate’s feedback.
As it happened, I was proved wrong. Two years after the amazing first album, here comes “Relentless”. Written in the same pattern, it may not catch the composing level of its predecessor, but it is a very remarkable opus armed with the magical voice of Geoff Tate and the theatricality that he brings out. I would say that Geoff Tate should stick with Sweet Oblivion’s compositional formula as they bring out the best of him.
But we should also point down that the line up now is different compared to the one of the first album. The only remaining musician of that debut album is none other than is Geoff Tate! Everyone else has been replaced including the guitarist/bassist Simone Mularoni who was responsible for the composition of the first album. I can imagine a lot after that…
As I said, “Relentless” may be a little bit inferior to the previous album but with tracks like “Strong Pressure”, Another Change “and” Aria “I am sure everybody will be happy. The compositional and lyrical part has been taken over mainly by Aldo Lonobile, the band’s guitarist and Alessandro Del Vecchio, while Geoff Tate has written the lyrics for “Strong Pressure”, “Wake Up Call”, “Till Be The One” and “Fly Angel Fly”.
“Relentless” is a remarkable album as a standalone release, but it’s also a good opportunity for countless Tate fans out there to listen to their favorite singer in all his glory.
