Harem Scarem - Change The World
Frontiers Records
Melodic Rock
11 songs ()
Release year: 2020
Harem Scarem, Frontiers Records
Reviewed by Ben

If there's a positive side to getting Harem Scarem's last album United three years after it was released, it was knowing that a new album should be coming out soon. And lo and behold, Change The World was announced mere weeks after I had absorbed United. While it seems like this was one of those super quick turnarounds, this isn't the case. Change The World is another step forward for the band in this, their mach 3.0 era? The second "comeback"? How do I refer to this stage in their career?

In the longstanding tradition of opening with the title track, Change The World kicks off the album in a similar way that Human Nature did on that respective album. By that I mean it has a very positive, bouncy feeling to it. A solid opener, but this song's overt sense of hopefulness may be a bit much. However, much like the Weight Of The World album, the rest of Change The World is hard hitting and supremely melodic rock! Drummer Darren Smith has multiple vocal harmony sections and Aftershock is the first example of this. That chorus is pure auditory sugar (in a good way) and here comes Darren at the end to belt out a monster harmony line. Other fast rockers would be Death Of Me and Riot In My Head. These are rather straight forward rock songs but also have memorable guitar solos.

Actually, I should point out that guitarist Pete Lesperance has some of his most melodically inclined solos on this album! This is by no means a small feat since he has such a massive repertoire and it's hard for many guitar players to not repeat themselves or fall back on stock ideas. Pete though lets it rip on many spots and his note choices are all so emotionally resonant. The guitar solo he lets loose on In The Unknown is one of the first guitar solos that actually made me jealous! No Man's Land is the most "modern" sounding track due to the guitar licks, but the chorus has a laid back, hymn like feel. I think this is the serious song, but to me it just rocks.

Change The World is a terrific album and is a cause for fans Harem Scarem to argue which era is better. The early days or the first reformation back in 2002? Or the SECOND comeback from 2013? An obvious love for music and for writing songs is completely evident on this album. Harem Scarem (btw that name is from a Bugs Bunny cartoon, not keeping a bunch of scared girls in a cage) has found a way to stay creatively happy and still make music fans enjoy immensely. Hell yea.

Killing Songs :
Aftershock, Death Of Me, In The Unknown, Riot In My Head
Ben quoted 89 / 100
Other albums by Harem Scarem that we have reviewed:
Harem Scarem - United reviewed by Ben and quoted 88 / 100
Harem Scarem - Human Nature reviewed by Ben and quoted 89 / 100
Harem Scarem - Mood Swings reviewed by Ben and quoted 89 / 100
Harem Scarem - Overload reviewed by Ben and quoted 55 / 100
Harem Scarem - The Early Years reviewed by Ben and quoted 76 / 100
To see all 10 reviews click here
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