The title of H.E.A.T’s seventh album is either slyly ironic or heroically oblivious. There’s absolutely nothing futuristic about Welcome To The Future, unless it happens to be 1979 and we’re still waiting for the invention of the keytar, the DeLorean car and Vince Neil. But then these Swedes haven’t so much been behind the curve for their entire career as operating on an entirely different timeline, one that stretches roughly from 1985 to 1991. For nearly 20 years now they’ve been waging a one-band fight against modern trends – the musical equivalent of the Japanese soldier on the Pacific island who doesn’t know World War II ended years ago.
Welcome To The Future is their second album since the return of original singer Kenny Leckremo, who replaced previous incumbent Erik Grönwall. Leckremo may not possess the latter’s TV talent show-honed charisma, but he’s got the leather lungs and the almost audibly swishing hair that every self-respecting melodic rock singer needs.
That wouldn’t count for much if H.E.A.T didn’t have the tunes to back up the look, but they do. They hit a sweet spot between melody and heft a few albums ago and have honed it to perfection since.
Disaster comes on like a long-lost 80s MTV hit fired by some modern-vintage guitar heroics and Leckremo’s paint-peeling voice. Children Of The Storm ties twinkling keyboards and big, pounding drums to a rocket-fuelled chorus and launches it skywards. Running To You is a slice of hard rock exuberance practically waiting for a stripper to wrap herself around a pole to it.
Of course, H.E.A.T have never met a lyrical cliché they haven’t wanted to take out to dinner, get tipsy on red wine and tumble into bed with, and so it proves here. Rock Bottom repurposes one of rock’s most shopworn titles for the millionth time, even throwing in a line that rhymes ‘higher’ with ‘fire’ for good measure. ‘When you hit rock bottom, the only thing is to rock,’ Leckremo roars, with the kind of conviction only Scandinavian belters can muster. Cheesy? Of course. H.E.A.T rightly leave the trauma-rock to everyone else.
Welcome To The Future doesn’t mess with the H.E.A.T formula, which is one drawn up by other people a good 20 years before they even formed. It’s not especially clever, but it is definitely big. The future’s overrated anyway.
