FM – Synchronized

7/10

The British gentlemen of FM have always had a special sound to their AOR/melodic rock. Something quintessentially British and very melody driven (even for the genre), that’s carried by the sublime voice of front man Steve Overland. This new album is no exception, you get melodies in spades and some of the songs are top notch. The title track, “Superstar”, “Best of Times”, “Broken” and “Change for the Better” are all songs of the highest quality that’ll convince even the most stubborn of skeptics within the genre. Of course you also get some heartfelt  ballads, like the almost pop sounding “Ghost of You and I” and the epic “Walk Through the Fire”.

There are a couple of fillers on the album. I can’t get my head around “Hell or High Water” or the slow bluesy “Angels Cried”. It’s not that the tracks are bad per se, but they don’t live up to the standard of the rest of the album. I swear that I’ve heard something very close to the closing track “Ready for Me” before, I just can’t place it… These “filler” tracks make the album just over one hour long, which is a tad bit much.

Anyways, if you’re looking for some high quality melodic rock/AOR from 2020, look no further. This album will fulfill most of your urges, and Overland’s voice is unparalleled today compared to his colleague singers from the 80’s.

Artist: FM
Title: Synchronized
Label: Frontiers Music
Date of release: 2020-05-22
Playing time: 60,10 minutes
Rating: 7/10
Stand out track(s): “Change for the Better”