Last year’s big surprise in the melodic rock scene came from Australia and its name was White Widdow; a band that along with the Swedish outfit of Houston proved in 2010 that the genre is not only alive and well but it also runs the past few years a second period of climax and pinnacle! “Serenade” is White Widdow’s sophomore effort and like its predecessor is once again sensational and the band is hot on the heels of the commercial and artistic success of 2010.
The album displays all the elements that we want to listen to and expect from a melodic hard rock album (you know what those are, of course…) and in comparison with the debut record I think that the main difference must be pointed down to the emphasis that White Widdow gives now to the keyboard sound thus putting in the background the guitar…it’s what we would call in the 80s “a shift in a more commercial direction”; but of course, such characterizations are pointless and meaningless in these days and times.
The most important thing is that White Widdow delivers once again a bunch of brilliant songs and as we said 1 ½ year ago: the guys from Down Under are here to stay…and that’s a fact!
Highlight: If you notice a couple of similarities with Def Leppard in the production, you don’t need to look any further…the guy responsible for the mix and the mastering is non other than Pelle Saether from Grand Design who is a huge fan of Mutt Lange.
