Year : 2025 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Canada
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 118 mb
Bio:
Harem Scarem are a Canadian hard rock band from Toronto, ON. Harem Scarem achieved popularity in Japan and their native Canada in the early 1990s. Harem Scarem were originally active from 1987 to 2008 and reformed in 2013. Throughout their career, they released 12 studio albums, plus numerous live and compilation albums.Early years:Harem Scarem was formed in 1987 by guitarist Pete Lesperance and singer Harry Hess, formerly of Blind Vengeance who had recorded one heavy metal album in the late 80's. The lineup was rounded out by Darren Smith (drums) and Mike Gionet (bass). They recorded a demo CD in 1990, which garnered them attention since most demos at the time were released on cassette tape only. On the strength of this demo, they were signed to Warner Music and recorded their first album. This demo CD, which was sold to fans, is long out of print.Commercial Success:In 1991, Harem Scarem released their self titled debut album, which charted at No. 68 on the Canadian album chart. The band scored a hit single from the album; "Slowly Slipping Away", which charted at No. 25 on the Canadian single chart. They also managed to chart two minor hits; "Honestly" and "Love Reaction" The following year, Harem Scarem was able to gain some notoriety when 8 songs from their debut album Harem Scarem were predominantly featured in the Canadian teen series Degrassi Junior High, and Degrassi High's farewell TV movie, School's Out.Harem Scarem released their second album in 1993, Mood Swings, which had a harder sound to it than their previous album. It also featured the recorded vocal debut of drummer Smith on the song "Sentimental Blvd." A fan favorite, Mood Swings charted at No. 83 on the Canadian charts. The album's lead off single was "No Justice", which managed to chart at No. 59 in Canada, while the other two singles failed to chart. Mood Swings caused the band to gain popularity in Japan, and the band's previous album was quickly issued in that country the following year. This was followed by a live and acoustic EP, appropriately titled Live & Acoustic.Short Lived Success:In 1995, the band released their third album Voice of Reason. The album introduced a change in the band's musical style, and was darker in sound than the first two albums. The song "Blue" was released as a promotional single and had a music video for it, however it failed to chart. Bassist Mike Gionet departed after Voice of Reason for personal reasons and was replaced by former Blu Bones member Barry Donaghy.The next two albums, Karma Cleansing (which was released as Believe in Japan) and Big Bang Theory, saw Harem Scarem modernizing their sound. Barry Donaghy also made his lead vocal debut with Harem Scarem on "Sometimes I Wish" from Big Bang Theory. Both the albums and the singles from them again failed to chart. In 1998, the band released their last commercial single "So Blind".Rubber:In 1999, Harem Scarem changed their name to Rubber, and released two albums under that name in Canada. However, they still used the name Harem Scarem in Japan and the rest of the world. Pete Lesperance made his recorded lead vocal debut on the song "Trip" from the self-titled Rubber CD. They made a music video for "Sunshine", which had actors that looked like Jay and Silent Bob, and parodied movies which were released around that time, such as American Pie. The second album under the Rubber name, Ultra Feel, featured their new drummer Creighton Doane (brother of Melanie Doane) replacing Darren Smith. Smith briefly switched to guitar and joined Helix as a touring member. The band soon dropped the Rubber name and switched back to their original name, Harem Scarem.Later Years and Breakup:2002's Weight of the World (released as a Rubber album in some markets) harkened back to the earlier sound of Mood Swings. It was followed in 2003 by Higher. The album's sound was more of a combination of classic melodic rock with a modern production. The album also featured the power ballad "Higher". The year 2003 also saw the release of Harry Hess' debut solo album Just Another Day which was well received by fans. In 2004 Pete Lesperance released his debut solo album Down In It (re-recorded with Mike Turner and released under the band name Fair Ground in 2006).Continuing their prolific output of studio albums, 2005's Overload was followed by Human Nature in 2007. The Japanese version of Overload features a cover of the AC/DC classic, "You Shook Me All Night Long".On July 19, 2007, lead singer Harry Hess announced that Harem Scarem "will make one more studio record, and then after 20 years we have decided to move on to other things". The final album, called Hope, was released July 2008.Post-Breakup...On June 21, 2010 Frontiers Records announced a new studio project called First Signal featuring ex-Harem Scarem members Harry Hess and Darren Smith. The album was released on August 27, 2010.Much of the Harem Scarem back catalogue was reissued in September 2010, featuring bonus tracks. Included in the reissue program are albums formerly only available in Japan, such as B-Side Collection, Rocks, and Ballads.On December 2012 it was announced that a reunited Harem Scarem would headline the 10th Firefest festival in Nottingham UK in October 2013.
Album:
Japan 2 cd limited edition with 4 bonus tracks.Harem Scarem are finally back with their anticipated return album “Chasing Euphoria”, their first new album in 5 years. Their new record is an absolute belter for all Melodic Hard Rock fans and shows clearly why, when a discussion arises on who are the current heavyweights of the melodic hard rock scene, the list of names being bantered about cannot avoid a mention of Harem Scarem. “Chasing Euphoria” brings back the band’s classic sound and shows shows a band at the top of their game. A cohesive unit still able to deliver a power-rock-packed punch, swaggering riffs, and hooks to die for. Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance without a doubt show the world that their partnership still works!Arguably Canada’s finest melodic hard rock band, Harem Scarem were formed in 1987 by guitarist Pete Lesperance and singer Harry Hess, formerly of the heavy metal band Blind Vengeance. The lineup was rounded out by Darren Smith (drums) and Mike Gionet (bass). They recorded a demo in 1999 and on the strength of it, they were signed to Warner Music. Their selftitled album was a significant success in Canada and paved the way to the release of the heavier “Mood Swings” album in 1993, often considered the crown jewel of their early releases. Enjoying a particular success in the land of the Rising Sun, Harem Scarem kept on releasing albums regularly during the 90’s, until they decided to ultimately change their name and music style to Rubber between 1999 and 2001.In 2002, the band came back to melodic hard rock with the milestone album “Weight of the World,” which was their first proper release in the European marketplace thanks to their newly signed deal with Frontiers. With the Italian label, Harem Scarem released another five original albums (not counting 2006’s “Human Nature”) until they took a break from recording in 2008 after the release of the album “Hope”.In December 2012, it was announced that a reunited Harem Scarem would headline the 10th Firefest festival in Nottingham, UK in October 2013 to perform the “Mood Swings” album in its entirety.The band regrouped and performed at Firefest and moved forward re-recording “Mood Swings II”, a twenty-year anniversary re-recording of their critically acclaimed and fan favorite second album. The three new songs included on that release showed a renewed musical vigor and chemistry. This new energy was confirmed on 2014's “Thirteen” release, which was a definitive return to the sound that put Harem Scarem on the map over 20 years earlier.Two more acclaimed albums followed: United (2017) and Change the World (2020), where the band presented a new lineup featuring Harry Hess (lead vocals, keyboards), Pete Lesperance (guitars, keyboards), long-time drummer Creighton Doane, Mike Vassos on bass, and backing vocals from original sticksman Darren Smith.With sales well over a million records in 43 countries and 12 top 40 hits around the globe, the new year will see Harem Scarem return and ready to dominate! Check them on tour in Europe in spring!Date of release is 30.4.2025.
Line Up:
Darren Smith - Lead and Backing Vocals
Pete Lesperance - Guitars and Bass
Creighton Doane - Drums
Harry Hess - Vocals & Keyboards
Tracklist:
CD1:
01. Chasing Euphoria
02. Better The Devil You Know
03. Slow Burn
04. Gotta Keep Your Head Up
05. World On Fire
06. In A Bad Way
07. Reliving History
08. A Falling Knife
09. Understand It All
10. Wasted Years
CD2: Acoustic Bonus CD
01. Better The Devil You Know [Acoustic] (Japan Bonus Track)
02. Slow Burn [Acoustic] (Japan Bonus Track)
03. In A Bad Way [Acoustic] (Japan Bonus Track)
04. Reliving History [Acoustic] (Japan Bonus Track)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
