Ola Englund - Master of the Universe (2019)

Let me get all the stereotypes out of the way for you. I was a latecomer in regards to Ola Englund and The Haunted years ago, I wasn’t there from the beginning of his band. He’s a phenomenal guitarist who’s highly underrated and more diverse than people want to give him credit for. Yeah he can play some cool melodic leads and some quicker stuff, but man…..the guy has always been a riffer. And yeah, his first solo album isn’t what you’d expect…..point number 2. He isn’t that flashy guitarist who is doing his darnedest to rip off Michael Angelo Batio. England wrote SONGS, not guitar clinics. Some people shy away from guitarist adventures, because they actually can be shred-a-thons and not focus on songs as a whole. That’s where one of his strengths come into play….his riffing and songwriting, not overdoing guitar leads ON EVERY PART.

Here’s my third point…..it’s not obscenely heavy, believe it or not. It’s actually a big nod to progressive music even classic prog rock from the 70’s and years gone by. There’s even some brass and piano on some of his songs! No, you’re not getting an instrumental death metal offering it’s actually extremely versed. Again I’ll hammer home the point he’s more diverse than most people think he is. It’s a truly unique display of music that is his own, and has a broad sound that is far from sounding like he’s imitating anyone. There’s even some slight moments of jazz here and there, as well. It’s a truly great experience. Ola is himself, and boy does it ever show in this unique album.

TRACKLIST

1. Ola Englund - Pizza Hawaii
2. Ola Englund - Cerberus
3. Ola Englund - Solar, Pt. 1
4. Ola Englund - That Youtube Song
5. Ola Englund - Solar, Pt. 2
6. Ola Englund - Slutet på skivan