If you've ever wanted AOR legends Journey to sound more like a melodic pomp-rock act with a singer whose high pitched vocals make Steve Perry’s sound like a restrained baritone, then behold Niva. Be warned, though, you'd best remove the glassware before spinning ‘Incremental IV’.
Tony Niva has been a fixture of the Scandinavian melodic rock scene since the mid 1980s, singing for the likes of Axia before forming Niva and releasing their 1994 debut album, 'No Capitulation'. They disbanded the following year, but Niva reunited with guitarist Roger Ljunggren and keyboard player Marcus Persson in 2011 to submit an entry for the Eurovision song contest that, although unsuccessful, reignited their creative juices.
A new album followed under the name Oxygen, before 2013's 'Magnitude' found the band reclaiming the Niva moniker. Boasting a clunky prog-rock title, 'Incremental IV' is described as the spiritual heir to their debut and certainly won't disappoint either the band's fans or lovers of pomp-rock bands like Grand Design.
Persson's production and mixing skills give the songs a brilliantly bombastic sparkle and, although Niva aren't concerned with reinventing the wheel, they recreate how it used to roll in splendid fashion.
Don't You Know highlights their anachronistic anthemic qualities, with an almighty chorus, soaring vocal harmonies, surging guitars and glistening keyboards that would have conquered many a stadium back in the good old days.
Similarly, the stirring Only You and The Reason Why strap you into a time-travelling Delorean and send you back to an era when Survivor fought with the eye of the tiger, Bonnie Tyler was holding out for a hero and Journey didn't stop believin'.
Along with driving, sweet-centred rockers they add melancholy drama too, with Magnitude's lonely twinkling keys recalling late ‘70s Abba. All By Myself, on the other hand, is a strong contender for the best old school lighter-waving ballad of 2014.
There's great instrumental work throughout, with Ljunggren showing a nice touch on tracks like Play The Game as he knocks out fretboard-charring licks tempered with enough melodic panache and economy to hit the sweet spot.
If there's a problem here, it's Niva himself. He has a great voice with cut glass clarity and, at times, a pleasing tone. But too often he sings in such an ear piercing register that it's to the detriment of otherwise superb efforts likes Lost And Found.
Such melodramatic delivery is unnecessary, because this album is a melodic monster jam-packed with well crafted, catchy hooks. Niva needs to dial down the warbling and let them speak for themselves, because when he does, on Travel Back In Time and Better Just Forgotten, the results are impressive.
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