Grand Design – Time Elevation (2009)
Every now and then an album comes along that is so good, it is hard to put it into words without sounding corny or like I’m sucking up to the band. Swedish five piece Grand Design’s debut “Time Elevation” is exactly that kind of album. Several bands have issued albums in the past year with a heavy Def Leppard influence, 7th Heaven and Wildstreet immediately come to mind, but nobody has been able to accomplish the task as well as Grand Design has. Almost effortlessly; they have taken the best of Pyromania, Hysteria and Adrenalize, mixed them into their on concoction and the result is “Time Elevation”, easily without a doubt one of the best debuts in 2009.
“Love Sensation” gets everything going and I can’t think of a better way to start the album off than with this melodic rocker. Foot stomping rhythms from bassist Anders Modd and gang vocals that would make Joe Elliott & the boys green with envy are only the tip of the iceberg for this tasty little treat. Guitarists Peter Ledin and Dennis Veldman smoke this song as does drummer Richard Holmgren. With a title like “Slugged Out” you would expect it to be a barn burner from the word go but no the guys throw everyone for a loop with the slow pounding intro before it kicks in to a full blown rocker, more killer gang vocals and choruses and front man Pelle Saether is just simply a kick ass vocalist. “Air It Out” is the third track and you won’t find a song better built for the stadiums than this melodic rocker, everything about this tracks screams BIG from the production to the drums and everything in between. The anthem “Piece of the Action” comes up next and it falls into the same vein as “Rocket” and “Armageddon It” until the solo and Ledin and Veldman are unleashed and completely shred the solo, awesome.
I hate to beat a dead horse, but sometimes it can’t be helped to get a point across. There are at least six songs on “Time Elevation” that if this album was released in the 80′s would have made Grand Design household names, but there are three songs that would have gone straight to the top of the charts and made these guys world wide superstars “The Sad Sound of Goodbye” is one of those songs a mid tempo rocker that is pop metal perfection. Once you hear this song you will not be able to stop tapping your feet or get the song out of your head. “Hello Mr. Heartache” is another song that should be a smash hit for Grand Design, impossible for me to choose between this and “The Sad Sound of Goodbye” as my favorite song on “Time Elevation”. “Let’s Go Down Fighting” would be the perfect song for Grand Design to kick off their live show with this anthem would be guaranteed to get the crowd rocking from the get go and there would be no looking back from there. “Sheik Iddup” is just a fun good time sing along rocker much like “Armageddon It” was 22 yrs ago on Hysteria. If you read my reviews regularly you should know I’m not a fan of ballads closing out albums, but “Love Will Know” is an outstanding song and this acoustic ballad would be my third choice as an out of the ball park hit for Grand Design, when the band plays this song live cell phones and lighters will be lighting up like there’s no tomorrow.
“Time Elevation” makes me want to break out Pyromania, Hysteria, and Adrenalize for a few spins, but the problem with that is I can’t stop listening to “Time Elevation” long enough to listen to anything else. Grand Design already have my vote for best new band in 2009 and I can guarantee you “Time Elevation” will be on my list of best albums of 2009 as well. This is one album no hard rock fan should be without.
Check out Grand Design on myspace, at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
- Love Sensation
- Slugged Out
- Air It Out
- Piece Of Action
- Sad Sound Of Goodbye
- No Time For Love
- Hello Mr. Heartache
- Let’s Go Down Fighting
- Sheik Iddup
- Love Will Know
Grand Design is:
Pelle Saether – Vocals
Peter Ledin – Guitar
Dennis Vestman – Guitar
Richard Holmgren – Drums
Anders Modd – Bass
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They remind me a lot of Pretty Maids too.
LOVE WILL KNOW is such a master piece of a song. It sounds like WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE by DEF LEPPARD.
Todd u are moron, go listen to sh*t like Linkin Park.
Great breath of fresh air!! I know its def leppard sounding, But its great to have an album that Def Leppard cant record anymore!!!
It doesn’t do it for me. I don’t see what’s so special about these guys.
Are you kidding me?? This group is a total Def Leppard rip off. Hearing those albums the first time around was fine, but let’s move on. This is total Velvetta Cheese!