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TREAT “The Wild Card”
TREAT “The Wild Card”
By Colonel Angus
I remember seeing this band in the pages of one of the countless European metal magazines I collected and that is what prompted me to check them out. Upon hearing one of their early releases, I remember thinking it was good but at that point in my life, I was into heavier material, especially when thrash was in full force. Not giving them much thought, I missed out on the band’s first go-around and didn’t hear anything from them until their reformation in 2010. Their “Coup de Grace” record really struck a chord with me and I have been keeping an eye on them ever since. Three years ago, “The Endgame” came close to knocking “Coup de Grace” off the top spot so when “The Wild Card” came across my desk, I was very interested in seeing what they had in store for us.
Now, to be realistic, the band was not going to switch gears and come up with a new sound because quite frankly, the one they have is pretty damn good. The differences are within the songs and some hit better than others. “The Wild Card” starts off with a bang (pun intended) with “Out with a Bang” which will transport you back to the mid-80s where melodic rock reigned supreme. They blend just the right amount of guitars to keyboards giving each instrument the room to shine. Plus, on top of all that, Robert Ernlund has a great voice to compliment all that melody that the other players are laying down. The second track “Rodeo” follows similarly and “The Wild Card” is shaping up to be another winner for TREAT.
When I mentioned earlier that some songs hit better than others, well, “1985” is one of those tracks that has all the right ingredients but somehow falls a little short. It’s not bad, it’s just that the previous two tunes were much better. “Endeavour” is a step in the right direction but they don’t get back on track until “Hand on Heart” which is another excellent tune. What makes this one stand out is the sense of urgency in the performance giving it more power without sacrificing their core melodic sound. Melodic rock as a genre is full of ballad-y types of songs so naturally, we were going to get them here as well. The difference is TREAT steer clear of the sappy power ballad trap and instead write tunes that contain all the same elements but rock them a bit (just a bit though). Grab a listen to “Heaven’s Waiting” and you’ll know exactly what I mean; there is the slightest bit of heft to it.
Progressing nicely again, “Back to the Future” is another slice of melodic rock heaven but it is “Mad Honey” that shines the brightest. There is a cocky strut to the rhythm that is so infectious and they even slip in some “Kashmir” sounding keyboards to elevate the track even more. Honestly, this song is worth the price of admission alone. While “Adam & Evil” may seem like a let-down after the stellar “Mad Honey”, it is another great melodic rock tune. All the elements are there along with that “x-factor” that makes most of their tunes better than others.
“Your Majesty” is another ballad type of song and while it’s not my favorite on the record, the guitar work from Anders Wikström elevates it to the point that I wouldn’t want to press skip whenever listening to the whole disk. Things do improve on “Night Brigade” where the chorus will have you humming it for days and the band rock a little more. In my opinion, tracks like “Night Brigade” (and a bunch of others on “The Wild Card”) are their sweet spot where they add more rock to their melodic rock. The disk ends with a duo of great tubes with the final number “One Minute to Breathe” really driving home TREAT’s brand of silky melodic rock. Although “Coup de Grace” still remains my favorite by these Swedish melodic rockers, “The Wild Card” is another fine release and, dare I say, maybe my second favorite.
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