KHYMERA – Hold Your Ground

Melodic rock is what Khymera is all about, and this follow-up to Master of Illusions from 2020 is certainly a polished and great-sounding affair yet one that lacks truly mind-blowing and memorable compositions. These gentlemen sure know their way around their instruments and the recording studio, and there are plenty of fine vocal melodies and good riffs to enjoy and digest throughout, but none of the tracks ever really manage to stir the soul and take the listener someplace else. Having said that, I really do enjoy the pieces titled ‘On the Edge’, ‘Could Have Been Us’, and the epic-sounding ‘Am I Dreaming’ – all of which display excellent musicianship, interesting arrangements, and classy hooks – but the record is simply not one that stands out in the overall perspective, and those outright noteworthy and inspired moments are far and few between.

Hold Your Ground is mildly entertaining yet quickly forgotten, which basically means that this is technically well-played stuff that rarely manages to take flight and reach the stratospheric AOR heights.