22. January 2025
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Media Review

Grand Design – Rawk

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Grand Design - Rawk

Grand Design - Rawk
4.6

Rating

 4.6/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very good melodic rock songs
  • Fun listen with little weak moments

Rawk by the Swedish band Grand Design is already their sixth album. The rock / hard rock band will release it on 21st April 2023. I had the opportunity to listen to it before release and share my thoughts with you.

Grand Design – About The Artist

Grand Design has been founded in 2006 in Västeras, Sweden. In 2009, they released their debut album Time Elevation. The fifth album has simply been called V. It has been released in 2020 and received very good reviews, in line with its predecessors. Grand Design is currently a quintet, lead by singer Pelle Saethan, who already founded the band. The other band members are Stefan Westerlund (bass), Dan Svanbom, Dennis Vestman (both guitar) and Joakim Jonsson (drums).

 

Grand Design – Rawk – Track by Track

The eleven track album lasts 50 minutes.

1. Tuff It Out

The album is opening with three of the five single releases so far. A feel-good opener. The sound of the song is cool, you can quickly sing-a-long and the glam texture feels fun. Come on, tuff it out! 

2. God Bless Rawk ‘n’ Roll

Oh, did I say that the Scandinavians are rockers? Of course, there are rawkers – at least for this album. The second song is underlining this small, but important difference. Their melodic rawk style with nice guitar shreds and catching themes wants you to be you rawker as well.

3. Love or a Fantasy

Grand Design are doing great melodic rock themes and choruses – but Love or a Fantasy is my absolute favorite in that regard. The song is a bit slower and softer than the openers, which is is giving a nice focus on the melodic and vocal parts. When they ask is it love or a fantasy, it is definitely love from my side to this song.

4. Your Luv Is Drivin’ Me Crazy

Love is also – obviously – a main topic in this fourth track, which is also the first previously unreleased track on this album. Good work by the three string guys, who are nicely dirivng this song.

5. Desperate Hearts

In every rocker, there is an emotional heart. And if the rocker is allowing for that, you often have a good time. The slower Desperate Hearts is not a ballad, but it at least comes with a plushy start. And the chorus is so 1980’s classic rock – Pelle Saethan and his band mates simply give me a great time.

6. Dangerous Attraction

Dangerous Attraction is having a rather slow start – but the Swedes fire their guitars and give another great stadium rock style chorus in Dangerous Attraction. If you are really quick, the rather quiet verses qualify for a pee break at their future shows.

7. We Were Born to Rawk N Roll

We Were Born to Rawk N Roll has been the very first single release which featured the Rawk theme. The August 2020 (!) release is one of the most catching songs, with stomping drums and great vocals. And which rock fan could disagree when the band is singing that first line of the chorus?

8. Carry on My Wind

With 5:49 minutes, Carry on My Wind is the longest track of the album. If you enjoy when guitars are strummed a bit more gently, this song is your must-listen of the album. But you should not miss the damn cool rock stuff around it. The eighth song is nice, but not on my list of favorites.

9. Give It All up for Luv

Another song which feels so 1980’s to me. Which touches my rock heart, my memories. Which feels like all the songs in my favorite musical, Rock of Ages. Lovely power ballad, which leaves a lot of warmth in my soul.

10. Get Out

The September 2021 song has been the second single release of the album. A song with average rock intensity and average speed. I feel that some of the later songs are better, but Get Out has a nice touch.

11. In the H.E.A.T. of the Nite

The album closes with the second song which exceeds the five minute duration benchmark. A song which is perfectly composed to rock with the band once they are back on stage – nice one!

 

Grand Design – Rawk – Spotify

Here is the album on Spotify:

 

Grand Design – Rawk – My View

I definitely want to be a rawker after listening to these eleven songs. Grand Design did a lovely job with that release. There may by some similarities in the songs, but they are finally just too fun not to enjoy them. .That definitely qualifies the album review to start with the Top Pick! banner.

 

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Here are all my Music & Media postings related to Sweden.

 

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