Alpha Souls - Carousel Of Emotions

The debut album from this Spanish quartet ticks every box for fans of quality melodic hard rock. Making their own assertion that ‘Carousel Of Emotions’ will bring to mind the likes of Treat, Giant and Whitesnake is an overly-made claim that very few ultimately prove. On the basis of this weighty thirteen-track big-hitter, I'd say the claim is well founded. Formed by guitarist Ricardo Walls and producer Hector Fontes, the aim was always to put their names to an album worthy of the bands they love and, despite a protracted release, Alpha Souls successfully follow a melodic rock template that will excite as much as it will impress. Adding bassist Borja Lopez, drummer Manuel Delgado and jewel in the crown, Greek session vocalist Manos Fatsis, Alpha Souls collectively deliver an album's worth of material on which quality rarely dips.

‘Climb To The Top’, complete with its scene setting opening, delivers a fine introduction to the Alpha Soul sound. Improving on this taster is the immediacy found in the pedal pushing ‘King Of The Road’ whose grinding gears are extended fully on this non-stop gas-guzzler. Guitarist Ricardo Walls treats us to a wonderfully expansive solo before the catchy ‘Live To The Full’ keeps the bar high. Whitesnake references reach their zenith in mid-paced ‘Silent Days’ which, although borderline plagiarism, still manages to steer its reverential course successfully, because it’s performed so well. It’s at the mid-point of the album that things get even better with both ‘Dreamer In The Night’ and ‘Never-Ending’ managing to stake equal claim for song of the album, but both are surpassed by the sumptuous ‘How Well You Think You Know Me’ on which the soaring Fatsis excels. In fact, it's the second half of the album that holds the Majority of the album’s gems with ‘Believe’, the moody and relentless ‘The Turning’ and stellar Winger-meets-Giant anthem ‘Six Minutes to Heaven’.

‘Carousel Of Emotions’ is a wonderfully-crafted album which should, if nothing else, convince the ever-patient exponents who've waited considerable time to bring such a breath-taking album to light to follow it up promptly.

GEOFF WOOTTON (Powerplay Magazine)