Year : 2016 & 2018 (Perris Records Value Pack Limited Edition 2026)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , AOR
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 251 mb
Bio:
Acacia Avenue is a very melodic hard rock/AOR band project, founded by guitarist and song writer, Torben Enevoldsen, back in 2008...The idea for Acacia Avenue began in 2008 when founder Torben Enevoldsen (eg Fate, Fatal Force) the most of the year thus spent writing new material. Some of the new material was so much influenced by the melodic hard rock / AOR to make a whole album in the style was not the thought away.On the selbstbetiteltem debut album (2010) was a guest vocalist Tony Mills (ex-TNT), Geir Ronning (Radioactive), Torben Lysholm (Pangea, Mysterell) and Lars Säfsund (Work Of Art) represented. Torben played the bass, the keyboard and the guitars both the lead vocals, as well as the backing vocals on some songs himself the drums took over Thomas Heintzelman (Decoy).Enevoldsen continued his work in various projects continued until he was asked by the Danish band Fate end of 2010 if he did not want to become a member. Although he was pretty busy with Fate he had never stopped writing their own material, so that the thought had never moved for a second Acacia Avenue album far away.New songs were written and the first singer was involved with Rob Moratti (ex-Saga, Final Frontier) also soon discovered. Aside from Rob can be found on the new album vocals by Steve Newman (Newman), Torben Lysholm (Pangea Mysterell), Albin Ljungqvist, Mikel Roupé (Bamboo Brothers), Peter Sundell (Grand Illusion) and Nicklas Sun (Defecto). Again Torben was responsible for the bass, keyboards and guitars, as well as for the backing vocals on a few tracks. With Dennis Hansen (Fatal Force), a new man is, however, behind the drums.
Album:
Multi-talented Dane Torben Enevoldsen (Fate, Section A, Fatal Force) has another excellent band – the edgy Melodic Hard Rock project ACACIA AVENUE – who is ready to release soon a new 2026 album, ‘Chapter V’, their fifth.And now ACACIA AVENUE’s former label, American imprint Perris Records, is offering a’ Special 2 CD Value Pack‘, the two previous ACACIA AVENUE albums / CD’s at the price of one. This is very limited offer and these packages will sell out fast for sure, as both are very good Melodic Hard Rock albums.”Early Warning + Worlds Apart [Perris Records 2-CD Value Pack]” features the album ”Early Warning” on CD1 (this is the version including the cover of DEEP PUPLE’S ‘Space Truckin’’ as bonus track). The album presents brilliant vocal performances by Rob Moratti (Ex Saga, Final Frontier), Steve Newman (Newman), Andy Engberg (Sorcerer, Ex Section A), Mats Levén (Candlemass, Ex Yngwie Malmsteen), Torben Lysholm (Pangea) and Albin Ljungqvist.CD2 is ACACIA AVENUE’s fourth effort titled “Worlds Apart”. Again there’s a stellar line up including vocalists Peter Sundell (C.O.P., Grand Illusion), Dagfifinn Joensen (Fate), Torben Lysholm (Pangea, Mysterell), Nicklas Sonne (Defecto, Section A) and Michael Bastholm Dahl (Artillery).The mastermind Torben Enevoldsen is once again playing guitar, bass and keyboards, as well as singing both lead and background vocals on a few songs, on both CD’s.You can’t go wrong with ACACIA AVENUE…Enevoldsen can write and play everything from prog metal to AOR, and he does all with class and gusto. ACACIA AVENUE is one of his projects where he pours his passion for classic Melodic Hard Rock in the Scandinavian style spiced with AOR melodies.This is basically a studio project from Torben Enevoldsen, with him playing all guitars, keyboards, bass. On “Early Warning” guest Peter Steincke from Fate and Pontus Egberg / The Poodles play on 2 songs. Bandmate in Fatal Force Dennis Hansen did the all the drums (except for one song guesting the great Anders Johansson) and as always, the majority of the recordings took place at Torben’s “Funny Farm Studios” in Denmark, all produced & mixed by him.Of course, for the lead vocal duties Enevoldsen has called, as happened with the previous two albums, some terrific cats from the genre. We have superb Canadian singer Rob Moratti (ExSaga, Final Frontier), the always veritable Steve Newman (Newman), Torben Lysholm (Pangea, Mysterell), Albin Ljungqvist, Andy Engberg (Sorcerer, ex220 Volt) and all-terrain shouter Mats Levén doing the great Deep Puple cover.All tracks are solid, plenty of truly melodious instrumentation and smooth vocal performances. If I have to pick some of the bunch, perhaps the 2 having Steve Newman participating are among my favorites; title track “Early Warning” and “Time To Listen”. Newman is singing better and better and he does a really good job.Other notable cut a track called “Broken Dreams”, featuring Albin Ljungqvist (he also contributed on the previous Acacia Avenue albums) which is stupendous vocalist and I do not understand with he is not part of an established band actually.On “Worlds Apart” Torben, play all guitars, keyboards, bass, the keyboards / synths as well as singing some lead and background vocals. As usual, bandmate in Fatal Force and Section A Dennis Hansen did the all the drums.You can’t go wrong with titles such as opener ‘Stand up and Shout’ (a killer melodic hard rock tune with booming guitar work and top vocals), the delicious AOR of title track (with some Journey on it and where Peter Sundell shine on vocals), or the elegant midtempo melodic rock of ‘Fly Away’.I really like the attack of ‘Mine All Mine’ via an anthemic chorus, a song with title ‘Straight to the Heart’ only can be a huge melodic rocker with a timeless feeling, while ‘Reaching Out’ adds a poppy / lite AOR touch with nice synths and heavenly vocals.Enevoldsen also does a cover on this Acacia Avenue album, his version of Toto’s ‘Don’t Chain My Heart’. The song is a Steve Lukather creation, and Enevoldsen is strongly influenced by him both in guitar style and songwriting. Very good version. ‘Wait for Love’ burns with a more modern AOR punch, the ‘2000’s style’, and I like the result, including varied harmony vocals.Torben Enevoldsen was and is part of some of the greatest melodic hard rock / AOR bands from Scandinavia, and he knows for sure how to write a fine tune in this style.Acacia Avenue packs all best things from the genre, an elaborated songwriting, plus the fine bright production it needs. As said, you can’t go wrong here; all really good stuff.
Line-Up:
CD1:
Rob Moratti - Vocals
Steve Newman - Vocals
Albin Ljungqvist - Vocals
Mikael Roupé - Vocals
Torben Lysholm - Vocals
Peter Sundell - Vocals
Nicklas Sonne - Vocals
Torben Enevoldsen - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals (Ex-Fate , Fatal Force)
Lars Frandsen-Melau - Piano on 6
Dennis Hansen - Drums
CD2:
Peter Sundell - vocals (C.O.P., Grand Illusion)
Dagfinn Joensen - vocals (Fate)
Torben Lysholm - vocals (Pangea, Mysterell)
Nicklas Sonne - vocals (Defecto, Section A)
Michael Bastholm Dahl - vocals (Artillery)
Dennis Hansen - drums (Section A, Fatal Force)
Torben Enevoldsen - guitar, bass, keyboards (Section A, Fate, Fatal Force)
Tracklist:
CD1: Early Warning (2016)
01. Real Love
02. Running Out Of Time
03. Broken Dreams
04. Early Warning
05. Survive
06. A New Beginning
07. TNT
08. Space Truckin' (Deep Purple Cover)
09. Time To Listen
10. All For Love
11. Need To Let Go
12. The Man In The Mirror
CD2: Worlds Apart (2018)
01. Stand up and Shout
02. Worlds Apart
03. Out of Control
04. Fly Away
05. Mine All Mine
06. Straight to the Heart
07. Reaching Out
08. Seeing Is Believing
09. Don't Chain My Heart
10. Wait for Love
11. Chasing Starlight
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
