Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It is a paradox in waiting, for to go Into The Great Unknown, one must be unaware of what is likely to happen, what is possibly going to be encountered to see the unknown; perhaps the Devil in the detail or the music to be loved is invisible till you first rip of the cellophane and open up eagerly the contents within, for in that moment, for most of the time, the listener is truly in the dark, they have only hope to guide them.
For those already well immersed in the battle ship of Rock, Swedish lords of the stage H.E.A.T, Into The Great Unknown is that paradox, for even the unenlightened would grasp the headline and sink their teeth readily in what is to come; an album of sincerity, of true melody and fire bound together in expression of exploration. The heat may be on full but that is too be expected when boosted by the Sun and the force of the creative Cosmos, the only rational thing to do is enjoy the ride, for like those who wish to see beyond our marbled world, who know to expect the beauty of space to tear at their hearts and leave them short of breath, then Into The Great Unknown is to be loved.
Erik Grönwall’s vocals are, as ever, sublime, cultured and passionate, they cry in the dark and light up space surrounding the melody and the sense of Rock rhythm laid down by Sky Davies (aka Dave Dalone), Jimmy Jay, Jona Tee and the riveting drums of Crash. It is in this five piece that the unknown becomes an open arena, nothing hidden, all to play for and it is a set that pounds away, knocking on the door of the Universe and saying through the letterbox, we are back, we have come to blow your preconceptions down.
In tracks such as Eye of the Storm, Time on Our Side, Bastard of Society, We Rule and Shit City, H.E.A.T. delivers with so much fire in their belly that it makes our Sun seem envious, a trifle jealous.
An album in which Into The Great Unknown is but a short step from being a great discovery, what lays beyond is only unheard for now but it is not nameless, it is absolute H.E.A.T.
H.E.A.T. release Into The Great Unknown via earMUSIC on Friday 22nd September.
Ian D. Hall