Stephen The old saying of "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" works perfectly fine with H.E.A.T. After the shockingly sensational debut, "Freedom Rock" was launched in the spring of 2010 as the follow up and signified their decision to stay on the 80s melodic rock platform. Musically, their songs still grow on the same roots, revolving around the classic sound of Europe, Talisman, and Bon Jovi, and while many said this one is better, I think both albums are in the equal class. However, "Freedom Rock" enjoyed a more polished production value, blowing a thicker commercial breeze on their songs.

"We're Gonna Make It To The End" makes an explosive opener, this track has a huge anthemic grip on the chorus and could be an instant hit of the band. In my opinion, this is the best track of the album. It's hard to pick the other strong tracks as you'll find many high-valued songs around, but if I had to choose, I'd say "I Can't Look The Other Way" has big hooks and memorable chorus, "Beg Beg Beg" is headbangable, energetic, and watch out for the poisonous joyful chorus, "Stay" is another radio friendly great midtempo track, "Everybody Wants To Be Someone" is a spine-chilling passionate ballad, and "I Know What It Takes" is so lovable and infectious. The rest are pretty good as well except "High On Love" which I think is a bit patchy.

Not long after the band released yet another fans-cheering album, singer Kenny Leckremo decided to step off the stage permanently to pursue his own personal objectives. While I still believe in the capability of the band, looking for the right singer is not an easy task, but I hope they'll survive this just like AC/DC, Van Halen or Journey did. "Freedom Rock" is a delightful wonderment, shows no sign of declining, and puts H.E.A.T on top of their game. This is an indispensable album for big fans of melodic rock/glam/AOR, one of the best releases of 2010.

Bottomline : The Heat Goes On

Stephen Sweden continues to amaze me in the last couple of years, providing a lot of entertainment from almost any kind of genres, and this time, H.E.A.T has a chance to blow me away with an enthralling grandeur melodic rock in the veins of classic 80s heroes such as Bon Jovi, Europe, Survivor, and Giant. Most of the members are very young, probably in their early 20s, but thumbs up for their songwriting capacity and instruments-handling expertise. Kenny Leckremo, the singer, has the Joey Tempest pipe with a gentle blend of Jimi Jamison. His vocal range is phenomenal and at times we can hear a metallic edge on his voice.

Ignited by "There For You", this is an instant favorite with its memorable chorus, but then they take you to the higher level with "Never Let Go". An anthemic chant in the mix of Talisman and Europe's distinctive notes and stands out as the best track of the album for me. Eric Rivers and Dave Dalone made a twin killer combos, shred swiftly throughout the songs especially on tracks such as "Straight Up" and "Straight For Your Heart". "Cry" is a beautiful midtempo ballad with a heartfelt passionate delivery with a thick 80s texture. "Follow Me" is another power ballad and no doubt, is a great song as well. "Bring The Stars" has an affecting emotional touch with massive vocal harmonies. If you can get the 2cd version, it worth your penny as the second disc contained the song, "1000 Miles", a huge and pompous 80s vibe track and another H.E.A.T's well-composed tune.

If you like Europe's "Out" and "Prisoners" era or Giant's first two albums, I'm not boasting when I say that you will love this amazing album instantly. Not to forget that Stormvox has done a splendid job with a flawless sound production. If only this was released in 1988, probably H.E.A.T would sell out a 30.000 capacity stadium and top charts across the world. This is a five stars album and a must-buy if you're into glam metal and melodic rock.