The words “Swedish hard rock” have become a byword for class. Stick “released on Frontiers Music” after them and, frankly, you are only underlining the point. You know what world you are entering: big choruses, immaculate playing, songs polished until they gleam, and enough melody to make you wonder why anyone ever decided being awkward was better than being brilliant.
Creye, then, are very much operating in fertile ground on “IV Aftermath”. The band return with a new frontman, Simon Böös, a partly refreshed line-up, and what they call their most complete album yet. That is the sort of thing bands always say, of course, but here it is not hard to hear what they mean. This is not a reinvention as much as a sharpening of the blade.
“Something Missing” opens things a little tougher than you might expect, but the verses are pure 80s AOR and the guitar work from Andreas Gullstrand is exceptional. The solos alone tell you this lot know exactly what they are doing. “Bad Romance” follows and, like all the best records of this type, it lives and dies by its chorus. Happily, Creye have brought hooks big enough to carry the whole thing.
“Rust” feels more modern than many albums in this lane, while “Left in Silence” is interesting for the way it suddenly explodes into its chorus. There is class here, the kind Frontiers releases seem to have as standard, but there is also energy and intent. “Don’t Talk About It” makes the keyboards as important as the guitars, and they sound absolutely huge, driving the song rather than sitting politely in the background.
“Through the Window” is faster, straight from the 80s in all the right ways, and ends up being one of the highlights. “Only You” stretches things further. These are songs in widescreen, ambition written right through them, and there are moments where the whole thing edges towards prog without ever losing sight of the chorus.
By the time “Glow” arrives, it feels like Creye have reached that point in their career where mastery of the craft is not in question. “Aligned” impresses because it does not simply follow the usual playbook, while “The Last Night On Earth” has flashes of Toto about it. It is more mellow, certainly, but crucially there is no hint of power ballad nonsense. “Clay” closes things at a pace the band seem entirely comfortable with, confident rather than desperate to prove anything.
You have heard records like “IV Aftermath” before, but I have never understood why that is supposed to be a problem. I would rather be good than avant-garde. Creye are very, very good.
RATING 8/10
