RONNIE ATKINS – Trinity

The exceptionally skilled and charismatic Ronnie Atkins of Pretty Maids fame has recorded some of his finest work ever these past few years – both as a solo artist and with Nordic union. His third solo offering, which is rather appropriately titled Trinity, is a musically strong and incredibly well-written slab of varied and melodic hard rock with heavy metal undertones coursing through it. The great thing about this huge-sounding opus is that it highlights the many qualities and colors of Ronnie’s voice splendidly, and there are choruses to die for here not to mention an abundance of meaty riffs that will make you go wild. Trust me when I say that nothing is lacking in the thick, massive rhythm section either. The lyrics speak of many things, some of which relate to current events and the state of the world whereas others are tinged with yearning and raw emotion, and a personal favorite of mine is the moving, passion-filled ‘Soul Divine’, which is a magnificent power ballad. Let me also just add that the menacing ‘Godless’ and the thunderous ‘Shine’ are two utterly appealing metal tunes that are worthy of some serious airplay. As to the overall result, impressive seems to sum things up nicely.