Revertigo is the debut album by Stockholm based musicians Mats Levén (vocals) and Anders Wikström (guitar). The duo has been friends and musical compadres for 30 years and this project is the culmination of years of work and various collaborations over the years. The self-produced album is slick and stylish from the offset. It's a fully fledged rock album that successfully incorporates cross-genre elements. Rather than appear disjointed as can often be the case with albums that try to
cover several musical bases, the album has a clear vision with bold and passionate songs, a stadium sound and the Euro metal knack of spinning a bold melody over some frenetic guitar work and pummeling rhythms. Wikström is quick to acknowledge this by saying “we might not be reinventing the wheel, but we ́re certainly putting on fresh tyres!” The album certainly beats new life into the idea of Euro/power metal. Hoodwink draws you in with some tight drum and bass work and Levén's superstar vocals that have been hidden for far too long from the wider rock world. Symphony of False Angels and Luciferian Break Up have the epic stadium sound that you would expect from a band whose singer has worked with Therion and Candlemass. Revertigo's sound is a somewhere between the two, incorporating some symphonic elements without having an overly strong focus on them, and choosing to work the metallic resonance that can be heard throughout the album.
With the duo always being too busy on their own projects to get together to finally make the album, it's not surprising that the end project is so enthusiastic and energetic. The challenge here will be if the pair are able to recreate this passion and vigour on future collaborations.
Groupie Rating 4/5
