House Of Lords
World Upside Down

THE REVIEW

The Californians House Of Lords come to release their new album "World Upside Down" after a two-year hiatus with a renewed lineup, the result of Giuffria's rejoining. The album seems to fully synthesize the group's tenets: easy-to-grasp Hard Rock tending toward AOR, energetic ballads rich in pathos, and bursts of Heavy Metal, elements that rightfully place this work among the combo's most successful pieces. In general, the arrangement of the tracks reflects a skillfully orchestrated balance between more captivating sounding pieces and less aggressive ones.

Once the listening is complete, it is certainly worth highlighting the exuberant performances of guitarist Bell and the indispensable use of keyboards entrusted to Giuffria and Kent, capable of infusing moments of extreme depth in every instance where their contribution is called upon. The impetuous cohesion between the guitar-keyboard combination reaches its zenith in the stunning minute of "Mask Of Eternity," in which the sounds of the two instruments hypnotically blend, creating a majestic and solemn effect. The proof of the group's great capabilities is immediately evident with the second track "These Are The Times," characterized by powerful riffing and Christian's imaginative performance; it proves to be melodic and catchy without overlooking the technical part, truly excellent. The first trio of tracks concludes with "All The Way To Heaven," one of the album's masterpieces. The track, slow, expresses a marked vein of pathos exuded in the singer's hoarse and never reckless vocal timbre, but especially through the work of Giuffria, always present in the background, and Bell, who, around the midpoint, engages in a lethal solo that completes a piece worthy of an anthology, perfect in execution and sound.

Following this scheme but in a softer key is "Field Of Shattered Dreams." Continuing the journey, one of the most daring points within the album, in terms of sound impact, centers on the fifth track "I Am Free,” which showcases a more incisive and edgy Christian, along with Bell's usual enlightening qualities. Skipping the semi-acoustic "All The Pieces Falling,” we reach the anthem "Rock Bottom," rousing, energetic, explosive, giving the listener an adrenaline jolt, who is immediately transported, thanks to Giuffria's magical touches, into "Million Miles,” less direct than its predecessor, lighter, but no less interesting for it. Finally, in the last part of the work, "My Generation" deserves attention.

For lovers of Melodic Rock, Hard Rock, or for those who want to listen to something fresh and direct without sacrificing quality.