Harem Scarem
Weight of the World

Where were we? Oh yes, after Big Bang Theory (album with which I created a stir worthy of the Icelandic volcano with the name Carmelo), Harem Scarem sort of disappeared from the radar.

There were various collections and live albums with a few new tracks, then came the boring Rubber period (in 2000 with the self-titled album and in 2001 with Ultrafeel) but, when all seemed lost, here in March 2002 emerges a release under the name Harem Scarem "Weight Of The World," marking their rebirth (as well as their last truly noteworthy album).

The lineup changed again: Darren Smith, the historic drummer, now only appears as a backing vocalist for the group, with Creighton Doane taking his place. The eternally immense Harry Hess is on vocals/keyboards, Pete Lesperance on guitar/keyboards, and Barry Donaghy on bass/BV.

Harem Scarem moved from the Canadian Warner to the Italian Frontiers record label, but what’s most gratifying about Weight of the world is its return to the sound of the first two albums: an excellent blend of classy hard rock and AOR that hadn’t been heard for a long time! And of course, it made the old fans happy, even though personally, I didn't mind the post-Voice Of Reason period. Let’s analyze the 38 minutes of this album track by track.

The acoustic beginning of "Weight Of The World" doesn’t last long before the explosive guitar of Lesperance comes in: and thus the classy hard rock of Mood Swings reappears: great guitar phrasings, upbeat rhythm, and a solid performance by the newcomer Doane. It’s followed by "Killing Me,” another melodic hard rock piece notable especially for its beautiful melodic chorus and the particularly striking harmonies. "Outside Your Window" has a more soothing vibe if you will, and here we finally hear Hess's voice towering throughout the track, along with excellent acoustic and electric guitar work by the ever-present Lesperance. Comes one of the masterpieces of the album, the beautiful "All I Want": an explosive start with one of the best riffs ever created by Lesperance at the beginning and especially in the middle part, almost Megadeth-like. Indeed, believe it or not, when I listen to this track again, it sounds like one of those typical phrasings of U.S. thrashers, seen through the Harem Scarem lens, of course!

Mid-album, we encounter the first tear-jerking ballad, for the young broken hearts of women who cheat...ahem sorry, I was talking about "This Ain't Over,” introduced for the most part by the piano with a remarkable Harry Hess but also richly enhanced by the rest of the group, with a nice solo by Lesperance. "Internude" arrives right in the middle (a beautiful instrumental interlude nonetheless, Lesperance does an amazing job with the acoustic!) and sets the stage for the subsequent and very beautiful "You Ruined Everything,” marked by a very catchy melody and a very upbeat rhythm with a good tempo change in the middle of the track, as well as the always well crafted Scarem-style harmonies. On a different note, "Charmed Life" deserves special mention as another masterpiece from the Canadians, 3 minutes of pure bliss, where the Canadians create a song with a beautiful atmosphere and a fantastic break by Lesperance and Donaghy and an excellent Doane who beats the drums like crazy! The album closes with the insistent "If You,” the instrumental "See Saw,” where Lesperance gives guitar lessons, and "Voice Inside,” another strike right between the legs that excellently wraps up a beautiful album.

This will be my last 5 for the Canadian band, because Weight Of The World is truly the band's last peak: from the subsequent Higher onward there will be only tears, with the exception of a few good songs that will save the overall trend of the following albums.