Aged 10, Andreas Novak picked up a guitar in 1981, listening to and learning from the Rock scene ever since, and playing in several local bands. While studying at Stockholm Music Conservatory in '98, he got in contact with Daniel Flores from Swedish Progressive act Mind's Eye (who have released 2 albums to date, the last one – 2002's A Work Of Art" receiving favourable reviews worldwide. But Novak always free-lanced a bit on the side of that band, and gradually felt the need to do something positive with that. In the end, it was Flores who convinced him to put his solo ideas to work, offering to help in both the writing and performing duties (drums, keyboards, backing vocals) of the 'job'. Finally, and with the help from a few handpicked guets musicians and co-writers (on bass : Xsavior's Mathias Garnàs, Therion's Johan Niemann, Namia's Andreas Olson, Sub 5's Anders Pinnen, and Thomas Bristulf; for guest guitar solos : Radioactive's Tommy Denander, Tears Of Anger & Xsavior's Benny Janson, Therion's Kristian Niemann, Dionysus & Nation's Johny Ohlin, and Orange Crunch's Daniel Palmqvist; on guest vocals : Martina Edoff on the track "Another Woman") the duo worked out the ideas during last Summer. The result is a varied and melodic Hard Rock album with mostly a ballad feel, except in the really harder songs. Most songs are ballads in Hard Rock disguise lyrically anyway! Of course a couple of songs are really explicit semi-ballads ("Carry On" & the album closing "Gates Of Defeat"), and "Another Woman" is not only a ballad pure sang, but also a very nice male/ female duet! Musically, I couldn't help thinking about Journey, because they too have such interesting lead guitar parts in between the rhythm guitar parts. Novak's slightly high-pitched vocals certainly are also remeniscent of that scene of Hard Rock/ . A very nice album for people into (and I'm taking this from the bio sheet, but agreeing completely) Queen, Journey, Van Halen, Rainbow, Genesis, or Def Leppard!

88/100

Tony