CAPTAIN BLACK BEARD

Christian Ek – guitar/vocals
Martin Holsner – lead vocals
Robert Majd – bass/vocals
Vinnie Stromberg – drums
Daniel Krakowski – guitar

Neon Sunrise

1. Flamenco
2. We’re The Forgiven
3. Physical
4. Moment Of Truth
5. Wasted Heart
6. Night Reaction
7. Chains Of Love
8. Burning Daylight
9. Break (Into Forever)
10. Invincible
11. State Of Denial
12. Neon Sunrise

First Impressions

Wow! I just can’t get these songs out of my head. And that’s a good thing!

I’ve been looking forward to the release of Neon Sunrise since the day Captain Black Beard first caught my ear at Sweden Rock Fest. They were playing a show in the acoustic tent, and I was blown away. Their songs were catchy and they had huge stage presence even in the small tent. I loved seeing Vinnie Stromberg keeping time with a plastic banana. Can’t get much cooler than that! I got to see their full live electric set just a few months later at Indoor Summer Fest and was again impressed by their songs and energy.

Since they played some new releases at these shows I already knew that I loved “Flamenco” and “Physical”. Both these songs hooked me in right away. So, I had really high expectations for Neon Sunrise and was very happy not to be disappointed.

The Standouts

Neon Sunrise has an 80’s vibe with very catchy, upbeat anthems that sink their teeth into you and won’t let go. You WILL catch yourself humming the songs at random moments throughout your day. A few of my favourites are

“Flamenco” of course, the keyboard/guitar intro grabs you right away and the upbeat tempo with catchy lyrics will make you want to get up and dance the Flamenco. Stellar guitar solo too.

“Wasted Heart” is a classic AOR song with a strong melody and another cool keyboard intro. Actually, the keyboards really stand out on the whole album.

“Moment of Truth” is a bit heavier but not HEAVY. It’s got guitar riffs galore which gives it that edge.

“Night Reaction” great song with killer drums and this really kick-ass keyboard guitar duel solo breakdown towards the end.

I highlighted these few but truly the whole album is great. It flows together so well, there are no songs I want to skip through to get to the next one. To sum it up, Captain Black Beard’s 6^th studio album is 45 minutes & 55 seconds of pure AOR bliss. So turn it up and start singing along.

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Kryfar

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Photo Cred: Rich “The Meister” Dillon