Alyson Avenue – Changes (Avenue Of Allies)

"Changes" is the highly anticipated comeback of the female fronted Swedish Melodic Rockers Alyson Avenue. The album introduces powerhouse vocalist Arabella Vitanc. All tracks were co-produced and mixed by Chris Laney (Crazy Lixx, H.E.A.T., Brian Robertson). The songs include a duet with Michael Bormann (ex-Jaded Heart, BISS, Zeno) and guest appearances by Rob Marcello (Danger Danger, Marcello - Vestry), Anette Olzon (Nightwish, ex-Alyson Avenue), Fredrik Bergh (Street Talk, Bloodbound), Tommy Stråhle and Mike Andersson (Cloudscape, Planet Alliance). The gents in Alyson Avenue on Arabella's side are main song writer and keyboard player Niclas Olsson, Thomas Löyskä on bass and guitar, Fredrik Eriksson on drums and Tony Rohtla on guitar. The result is a really inspired Melodic Hard Rock album. The openning track “Liar” will get you straight into the point which -in the case of Alyson Avenue” is to remain in a extremely catchy mood as far as the melodies and the themes, to groove in a hard rocking way and to combine some Nightwishy elements -manly from the last period of the band but I discovered some small parts that reminded me the last album with Tarja anyway-. Ambella got a powerful and emotional voice, she can be the new trademark of Alyson Avenue and fortunately she has some really inspired compositions to fill with her voice and the most important of all an album under a good production to do justice on her voice because as you may remember production was the weak part on the previous stuff of Alyson Avenue. It seems that the new era of the female fronted bands finds them to be in a more Melodic Rock mood, in such a case we can point – because we know that you may ask- that the “new” post Tarja Nightwish has many similarities with Alyson Avenue that was one of the bands that actually delivered this style -female fronted, Melodic Rock- many many moons ago. It is good that they are now back with a new album that represents their musical talent.