If originally released back in AOR’s glory days, ‘All The Way’ would break the Billboard charts.

State Of Salazar is the latest Swedish Melodic Rock/AOR outfit staged to deliver their remarkable full-length debut ‘All The Way’ on Frontiers. A collective of talented musicians who have clearly done their homework, SOS oozes influences with the likes of Toto, Queen, Journey, Boston and just about every other platinum-selling AOR band from the genre’s heyday back in the 1970s and 1980s. Although never better realized than on the title track, SOS does not simply rewrite the classics in the AOR canon, they create something that is as much distinctive to themselves as it pays tribute to the original trendsetters.

Marcus Nygren’s vocals are strong and commanding, comprising elements of Bobby Kimball (Toto), Joseph Williams (Toto) and Dennis DeYoung (Styx). If an AOR band is from Sweden and the song title is a woman’s name, it is probably a winner. Much like Work Of Art’s ‘Maria,’ ‘Camilia’ and ‘Emelie,’ SOS deliver a pair of tour-de-forces all their own with ‘Marie’ and ‘Adrian’. The somewhat conservative production (soft compression and not bass heavy) further magnifies the band’s understanding, detail and mastery of the genre.

Surprisingly not used more often in the lexicon of music reviews, “lush” is the word to precisely describe ‘…Way.’ Its maturity belies the band’s tenure and possesses all the pomp and circumstance we have come to expect with modern AOR. ‘…Way’ takes you back, yet never ceases to continue looking forward. To further reinforce that sentiment, this dazzling talent are utilizing (and to great effect) all of the wonderful technological advancements in the studio to afford elegant sonics and world class production.

SOS’s full-length debut is one of the finest of the year and will absolutely find its way onto many of the “Best Of” lists for 2014 and they deserve to stand shoulder to shoulder with their Swedish Melodic Rock brethren; Work Of Art, H.e.a.t, Eclipse, Treat, The Theander Expression, The Poodles... the list continues to grow! Without doubt, if originally released back in AOR’s glory days, ‘All The Way’ would break the Billboard charts... yeah, it’s that good.

Brent Rusche