Stephen It's been too long since BONRUD's last self-titled album which was released in 2004, so when 'Save Tomorrow' sees the light of the day after 8 years of waiting, this album was met with some euphoric cheering from the AOR community. Backed with a gigantic production, this album was filled with lots of diversities, ranging from the fast-paced furious rhythm to the slow and delicate ballad. But for those who doesn't really appreciate slower songs, BONRUD only occupy one space for ballad in, which is 'End of Days', right at the end.

'We Collide' opened the album with crashing drums and thick riffs. Nice start although 'Bullet In The Back' isn't really the greatest choice to continue the big momentum. I'd rather go with 'Save Tomorrow' or 'I'd Do Anything', a brilliant and well-composed melodic rock tracks. Another option is to shuffle some big tracks on the second half such as 'Torn Apart' or 'You're The One' to the front because those are the examples of superb hard rock songs and could compensate the weaker tunes like 'Liquid Sun' or 'Blinded'.

The title track and 'Domines' are also worth to check, although I kinda doubt that 'Last Sunrise' will stand high because the verse is kinda average to me. Rick Forsgren is also a versatile singer and he completely nailed many high notes easily. Overall, BONRUD's comeback is strong and if I have to compare it to the debut, I'm betting that these two are balance and each has their own strength, so it's essential to own both copies if you're a fan of MHR. Very good album!

Time Signature We collide...

Genre: hard rock

Bonrud might be a strange name for an American band, but the reason is quite simply that the band is named after its central figure - namely, the guitarist Paul Bonrud. This is their second album, and if you are into tasty and accessible melodic hard rock, then you can't go wrong with this one.

Although evolving around a guitarist, the album is not your typical ego-inflating listen-to-my-incredible-fretboard-skills wankery. The music as actually quite balanced with the vocals being in the forefront (and, boy, does Rick Forsgren have a powerful and clear voice!) and the guitar stepping into the limelight in instrumental sections. Stylistically, the songs on the album vary from the heavy and groovy 'We Collide' and 'Last Sunrise' over the ballady 'Liquid Sun' and 'Torn Apart' to the feel-good rockers 'Save Tomorrow' and 'I'd Do Anything', almost the entire spectrum of 80s inspired hard rock is there.

Melody and catchiness characterize this album, and the twelve tunes are all quite enjoyable. Recommended to fans of melodic hard rock.