Even though this record is hardly brand new anymore (it is from December 2019), it turned up in my mailbox for me to review about a week ago and so I figured that we should give these melodic hard rockers from Sweden a handful of spins and write a short piece on this meticulously crafted and polished endeavor of theirs.
 

With a strong emphasis on huge choruses and massive hooks, House of Shakira offer a highly competent and entertaining brand of melodically rich rock that primarily leans toward Journey, Def Leppard, late eighties Whitesnake, and (to a slightly lesser extent) Aerosmith and Toto, and there is no getting around the fact that these talented musicians know to churn out a memorable tune that would get people truly excited in a stadium-sized setting (or at home in one’s apartment as is the case for yours truly). The production is great and the musicianship is pretty much flawless, but there is nothing present on the disc that you have either not heard or come across at some point before, so if you are looking for innovation or originality, you need to look elsewhere.
 

One of the more thrilling compositions is the Led Zeppelin-esque “A Tyrant’s Tale”, which possesses a solid groove and plenty of drive, and I love the fact that some of the songs sound inspired by some of the giants of 70s hard rock (or classic rock, if you will). Other standouts and highlights include “Delusion” and “Save Yourself” – both of which are full of excitement and a subtle sense of danger. The melodically infectious “Not Alone” is glorious too, but the title track, “Falling Down”, and “Like a Fool” are less imaginative yet nicely arranged and not without their fair share of cool moments.
 

In short, “Radiocarbon” is well worth looking into if you are on the lookout for a powerful and catchy AOR/melodic hard rock opus with heaps of finesse and sophistication to it. For a teaser, check out “Scavenger Lizard”.