Titan-Steps

Self-produced

2009

The picture of Sweden's Titan shows them with plenty of hair gel, puffy clothes and sunglasses that were all popular back in the mid-1980's. So I was none to surprised when I switched this one on and was rewarded with the powerful smooth melodies of top notch AOR. The average of the band members is 18 which means they were all born after the prime of American style AOR. So they missed the days when this style was first in constant rotation on the airwaves. Yet they have obviously discovered, embraced and perfected that sound. The six tracks here are certainly influenced by the likes of Journey, Toto and Survivor. So much so that this EP sounds like it could have done between 1983 and 1984. The keyboards are smooth, the vocals are instantly likable and they have an amazing amount of control. The drum sound could have been touch heavier in the mix as I had to strain some to hear it. Now they are not exactly doing anything new or contributing any parts that were not done during AOR's prime. Yet they handle the style well and they play a lively form of the genre that focuses on the best parts of this type of music. I am anxious to see what they can do on a full length album. Hopefully we do not have to wait to long to find out.