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Band: Amberian Dawn
Album: Take A Chance - A Metal Tribute To ABBA
Release Date: 2 December 2022
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Symphonic Power Metal
Tracklist:
01. Super Trouper
02. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
03. SOS
04. Head Over Heels
05. The Day Before You Came
06. Angeleyes
07. That's Me
08. Mamma Mia
09. Under Attack
10. Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
11. Lay All Your Love On Me
While Amberian Dawn has never been a band I would follow, knowing that they would pay homage to one of the greatest pop acts of the previous century and because I love good cover songs, there was no way I was not willing to take this one on.
The five-piece ensemble formed in 2006, which has an impressive discography of nine studio albums before embarking on Take A Chance - A Metal Tribute to ABBA, is not sitting still. I always find it thrilling to hear a metal band cover a pop song and not just deliver a heavy version of it, with enhanced guitars and fast-paced drumming dominating all the place. Unfortunately, Amberian Dawn did just that. The tunes they deliver on this release are still immensely catchy and mesmerizing, but they are just a heavy version of the originals.
ABBA is ABBA. They were groundbreaking at the time, and their music is timeless; that is a fact. So it comes as no surprise that Amberian Dawn decided to cover some of their most popular songs, alongside some of the maybe more hidden gems. They are not the first ones to do it either, but the question remains - how did they do it? The musicianship is flawless, and Capri does phenomenal vocal work, but that is it. None of the songs has a special zest to them. There are no added specialities, no changes in pace and no deepening of the atmosphere. To give a few examples - Beseech did a stellar cover of ''Gimme Gimme Gimme'' on its 2002 album Souls Highway. They have slowed the song down, making it sound as if you're falling into hell's abyss while listening to it. Moreover, they decided to have Erik sing the song and put Lotta as the back singer, as in the original when Agneta and Anni-Frid were the lead vocalists. So not only did Beseech cover the song, it took it as its own; they re-dressed it, switched the dynamics and put a breath of fresh air into it, and that is what contributed to it becoming memorable and standing out. Another great example was MGT's version with Ville Valo on vocals, when they took the heartbreaking ''Knowing Me, Knowing You'' and turned it even more mellow and heartfelt. Moreover, Therion seems to be keen on ABBA as well, as it reformed ''Summernight City'' into a full-on symphonic metal version but made it sound quite vile and darksome. I could probably go on for quite some time, but I think you got the idea of where I am coming from. Also, ABBA has been covered by a variety of metal and rock artists throughout the years, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Ghost and Heloween to name just a few. It may showcase just how much impact ABBA's music is having, regardless of the genre.
Take A Chance - A Metal Tribute To ABBA shines. It shines in performance, as it has what it needs - powerful guitar work, dense and reminiscent keyboards, precise tempo and magnificent vocal work. But it does not bring any additional value to the songs. ''Super Trouper'' is just as catchy as ever, ''Gimme Gimme Gimme'' sends shivers down the spine - as the original does - and ''Lay All Your Love On Me'' is just as yearning as it was. It is a great album to dance to, have fun with, listen to in the car and shout your heart out to. And that's about it. I sincerely hoped Amberian Dawn would put more effort into reforming the songs before I gave it a first spin, so for me, this album is quite a letdown. In any case, if they decided only to pay homage to ABBA, and that was what they were trying to achieve, they succeeded. Otherwise, this is just another album of covers that stays with you only when you listen to it.
The review was written by Ines
Rating: 5/10
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