FINALLY! As a follow up to the 2003 s/t debut, ON THE RISE returns from its almost seven year hiatus with a brand new piece of melodic rock “ear candy” with the new release entitled “Dream Zone.” Now while the name “implies” this is an actual “band,” ON THE RISE is really just a cover for the multi-talented singer/ song-writer Terje Eide who founded the project back in 2000 and is (in essence) the band’s only member.

I actually received this CD a little over three weeks ago. The reason it’s actually taken so long to throw this review together is because it really threw me a bit of a curve ball. Sometimes when you first listen to something, you may think it’s just “ok” but then the more and more you listen to it, it can grow on you and in the end you realize and appreciate it more than you did the first time around. With “Dream Zone,” right out of the box I thought this album was just absolutely amazing and was ready to throw a 4.5 to 5 star rating out there. THEN, I listened to it some more and for some reason, I actually grew “OUT” of it and started feeling that some of the tracks were becoming more and more “ordinary” and dropped my rating down to about a 3 or 3.5.

Finally, I threw it in my CD player again and listened to it a few more times back to back and I can finally say (with confidence) after running this through my head so many times, this really is one Hell of an album and worthy of a 4-star rating despite the musical “roller-coaster!”

While it’s been almost seven years since the last ON THE RISE release, the sound and magic of the first release remains in tact. With its big, BIG production value, catchy hooks and melodies, layers upon layers of harmonic vocals and some really, really well-written, tight compositions, “Dream Zone” is a positive shot in the arm to the Melodic Rock/ AOR world. When thinking of the music itself, “Dream Zone” arouses elements and hints of artists like TOTO, NELSON or SURVIVOR with a more than obvious touch of that Scandinavian sound ala bands like STAGE DOLLS, but it’s the layering of Eide’s powerful, mid-falsetto voice that really sets this one apart.

Tracks like “Lost Your Track,” “No Time To Lose” and “Why Wait Another Day” are positive, up-beat rockers while “Tomorrow Never Dies,” “Get Out Of Here” and “In The Line Of Fire” take a walk on that edgier-melodic side. “Edellyn” is a soft, acoustic driven ballad I really wasn’t all that crazy about at first but it really grew on me with its soothing melody and sweet, genuine chorus. “Fly Away” is easily one of my favorite tracks on the release sporting a strong, melodic chorus and solid, toe-tapping rhythm.

“Lifeline” is a good album opener that really sets the tempo for the entire release… not too edgy, not too wimpy, just a good, up-tempo arrangement that any melodic rock fan can appreciate. “Howling At the Moon” is a bit moodier in essence but I really like this track as the chorus builds to a massive, TOTO-esque climax. But the REAL “diamond” on “Dream Zone” to me is the bonus track “Find A Way.” How this could not be included as part of the “standard” release is beyond me. “Find A Way” is just an absolutely incredible tune… strong melody, tasty guitar licks complimented by an absolutely thrilling guitar solo combine with a big, memorable chorus to solidify this melodic masterpiece… this song ALONE is well worth the price of just about any CD on the market.

Although it took almost seven years, ON THE RISE is certainly not feeling any bite of a sophomore slump. Fans of the genre will absolutely eat this up… just make sure you go out of your way (if you have to) to score a copy with the bonus track “Find A Way” because (if you’re like me) you’ll have a hard time getting that song out of the loop on your CD player for some time.