FORTUNE – Level Ground

The US melodic rockers Fortune disbanded back in the mid-80s after a couple of successful records but regrouped and returned to the scene in 2006. However, it took quite a few years for the gentlemen to craft a new studio album but in 2019 we finally got the one simply titled “II” and then in 2020 they released the unremarkable “The Gun’s Still Smokin'” live offering.

The good news is that their brand new opus, which is named “Level Ground”, is pretty damn great and contains dozens of instantly memorable and elegantly written songs where things flow with ease and in a fluid, organic manner. These veterans definitely still have a knack for churning out pure AOR gold that is both catchy and classy, which is perfectly exemplified by melodically strong pieces a la “Silence of the Heart”, “Dangerous Things”, and the beautiful album closer “Lunacy of Love”. I would have liked a bit heavier and crunchier sound overall, but make no mistake; this is a solid and confident output with style, flair, and longevity to it, and if you are a sucker for bands such as Styx, Journey, Foreigner, and the likes, do yourself a favor and check “Level Ground” out. A cool and pleasant surprise for sure.