Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
November 2023
- High Spirits: Safe On The Other Side
- Signum Regis: Undivided
- DGM: Life
- Soledriver: Return Me To Light
- Care Of Night: Reconnected
- Secret Sphere: Blackened Heartbeat
- Seventh Crystal: Infinity EP
- Angra: Cycles Of Pain
- Hugo's Voyage: Inception
- DMJ: Sophomore
- Temple Balls: Avalanche
- Ignescent: Fight In Me
October 2023
- Pattern-Seeking Animals: Spooky Action At A Distance
- Overland: S.I.X
- Vitalines: Wheels Within Wheels
- Lynch Mob: Babylon
- District 97: Stay For The Ending
- Lalu: The Fish Who Wanted To Be King
- Entierro: The Gates Of Hell
- Nitrate: Feel The Heat
- Kings Crown: Closer To The Truth
- Theocracy: Mosaic
- Edge Of Forever: Ritual
- Ronnie Atkins: Trinity
September 2023
- Rockett Love: Galactic Circus
- Kerrigan: Bloodmoon
- Taz: Shipwrecked, Vol 2
- Taz: Wake Up & Sweat, Vol 1
- Ronnie Romero: Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters
- The Flower Kings: Look At You Now
- Vega: Battlelines
- Blackbird Angels: Solsorte
- Primal Fear: Code Red
- Eclipse: Megalomanium
- Seventh Wonder: Mercy Falls (Reissue 2008/2023)
- Seventh Wonder: The Great Escape (Reissue 2010/2023)
August 2023
- Hurricane: Reconnected
- U.D.O.: Touchdown
- Streetlight: Ignition
- Sarayasign: The Lion's Road
- Neal Morse: The Dreamer - Joseph - Part One
- Rian: Wings
- Icon Of Sin: Legends
- Lancer: Tempest
- King Kobra: We Are Warriors
- Dark Sky: Signs Of The Time
- Hell In The Club: F.U.B.A.R.
- Kent Hilli: Nothing Left To Lose
Treat: The End Game
Treat: The End Game
Melodic Hard Rock/AOR
5.0/5.0
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Frontiers Music
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 11.04.2022 | Released: 08.04.2022
You know things are (almost) right with the world when Sweden's Treat returns with a new album. Worldwide pandemic be damned, the resilient quintet makes their mark on the melodic hard rock genre with their ninth studio album, The End Game. Don't read anything into that title; the band is not bowing out of the game. The "end game" for Treat has always been about creating memorable rock songs.
Treat
That is no exception with the new album. It has all the Treat trademarks: bold and assertive riffs, an energetic and robust rhythm section, heaps of song melody and harmony (of course, in the vocals and guitars), keyboards for accent, and randy guitar solos. All these things are wrapped up in equally robust, even toe-tapping, almost dance-like, rock groove. When this is merged with the harmony of the lead and backing vocals, the Treat "sound" is immensely self-evident, even dramatic (overdubs help with that too). It also means, as a huge fan, I'm hardly objective in my comments. Deal. On to highlight a few songs.
Bold swift rockers abound with Jesus From Hollywood, Carolina Rocker, Sinbiosis, and Rabbit Hole, the latter two being especially heavy. If only to trip you up, both Home Of The Brave and Both Ends Burning apply some piano and synths before jumping to solid melodic hard rock. It may be just my ears, but the opening piano of the latter reminded (slightly) of early Elton John. But the song envelopes into a Treat rocker all the same. My Parade dials back things slightly and momentarily for an arena anthem. A more traditional ballad comes with Magic where piano leads into a slower, quite dense, arrangement with a subdued guitar solo and more rising piano moments afterwards. What can we conclude, then? Treat's The End Game is another finely-crafted and entertaining album of AOR melodic hard rock from one of the modern legends of the genre. Easily recommended.
The Take Away
Treat's The End Game is another finely-crafted and entertaining album of AOR melodic hard rock from one of the modern legends of the genre. Easily recommended.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
Album of the Week
We haven't had a new studio album from Brazil's Angra since prior to the COVID pandemic, 2018's Omni. But the quintet has been busy. In 2021, they released Omni Live in Japan where they have a huge fan base ... [ Read More ]
October 2023 Stats
- Users: 4,930
- New Users: 4,248
- Sessions: 11,615
- Pageviews: 19,354
- Pages/Session: 3.93
Source: Google Analytics