DEGREED – Public Address

The Swedish hard rock sensation Degreed are back with a follow-up to last year’s near-flawless Are You Ready, and it goes without saying that I had been looking forward to cranking Public Address up real loud in the living room. I shall keep things short here and merely state that this superbly produced offering sounds absolutely massive and surprisingly heavy, and it is filled with golden hooks and fist-pumping riffs that are bound to make the crowds lose their minds in a live setting. Having said that, the disc is by no means as cohesive, solid, and unforgettable as its predecessor is. For one thing, there are a couple of duds on the album with ‘This is Love’ in particular suffering from a terrible verse and bland, uninspired vocal melodies. Contrary to Are You ready the new LP unfortunately loses its momentum in places, and a portion of the song material is simply not as gripping and phenomenal as I had hoped it would be. But make no mistake, there are several juicy killer tracks here that will satisfy your need for powerful hard rock performed with skill and class – the best of which include ‘Way of the World’, ‘Ride Along’, ‘Don’t be a Stranger’, and the barnstorming ‘Big Plans’.