Stephen 'Salvation', the full length debut by the fresh Swedish melodic rock outfit, should have delivered last year but somehow, it only saw the light of day in early 2012. Comprised of 9 songs with an intro, OSUKARU tried to play in the comfort zone of Scandinavian AOR, with a classy guitar fill. Several songs inside were taken from the previously released EP, such as 'City Lights' and 'Never Too Late' from the 'Never Too Late EP' and also 'Change of Heart' and 'T.M.Y.S' from 'GBB2LA'.

'Highway To The Stars' is a smooth opening tune, but 'Hot Blooded Woman' is a bit patchy I guess. 'City Lights' is the first winner, the solo is perfectly executed, and overall a very good midtempo song. 'Till The End of Time' is a beautiful ballad with a neat memorable chorus. 'Never Too Late' boosts the tempo, still wrapped up with sensational melodic hooks.

'Change of Heart' is simply the best track. It sways tenderly with a bold sax touch, and everything from the verse to chorus is simply mindblowing. 'Tear It Down' and 'T.M.Y.S' are okay, but 'Promised Land' is somehow the better track. The production is warm and acceptable, but I guess OSUKARU needs at least two more punchy tracks and several weaker tracks could have been tweaked better.

A good start and I expect an even better result in the second record to come!