Last Autumn’s Dream – A Touch of Heaven (2010)
Melodic rockers Last Autumn’s Dream are back with their 7th release “A Touch of Heaven”, and it will have melodic rock fans chomping at the bit, wanting to get their hands on it. The German/Swedish group made up of Mikael Erlandsson (Lead Vocals, keyboards), Andy Malecek ( Guitars) Nalley Pahlsson ( Bass, vocals), Jamie Borger ( Drums, vocals) have put together one hell of a good album. Picking up where the bands’ last effort “Dreamcatcher” left off the band continues to perfect their sound and songwriting with songs ranging from custom built stadium anthems, mid-tempo rockers, to ballads. The guys even let their Cheap Trick influence shine through on both “See My Baby Jive” and a cover of the legends staple “Surrender”. Erlandsson and Malecek both shine on “A Touch of Heaven”, Erlandsson continues to show me why he is fast becoming one of my favorite singers today. The rhythm section of Pahlsson and Borger are tight and steady throughout the album, which may make their performances shine even brighter considering the fact they have not been playing together very long, Pahlsson replaced Marcel Jacob, who passed away last year.
“A Touch of Heaven” starts off with a brief intro titled “Heaven & Earth”, before heading into “Caught In Between”, which is a mid tempo number with a sing along chorus and some great bass from Pahlsson and a great solo from Malecek, who proves great solos are not all about flash and speed. “Top of the World” is next and like I said earlier it is a custom built stadium anthem, in my opinion would be a great way to kick off a live show as a way to get the crowd involved right from the start. “Top of the World” is just a great foot tapping, sing along song something the world needs more of these days. “Candle In The Dark” is another mid-tempo number, but a little more balladesque than “Caught In Between”, but still a good song nonetheless. “Come Rain Or Shine” is our fourth track and it can easily put up a good fight for best song on “A Touch of Heaven”, excellent playing by everyone involved, but Malecek’s solo and playing are simply brilliant. With some great background vocals, as well “Come Rain or Shine” is another great foot tapping sing along song. “Heartbreaker” has my vote as best song on the album, but that is definitely subject to change at any moment. Everything about this song is great from the chorus to the keyboards to the solo, it is just perfect melodic rock. The band get a little help from the one and only Jeff Scott Soto on “Last Mistake” as he contributed background vocals for this mid tempo gem, fans of Firehouse should find a lot to like about this song. Fans of Cheap Trick and Enuff Z’nuff will find a lot to love about “See My Baby Jive” as it could easily pass for a song from either band as well one more contender for best song on “A Touch of Heaven”. “What’s On Your Mind” & “How Long” are two more outstanding songs on “A Touch of Heaven” custom built for radio airplay as is the majority of this album.
If you have never heard Last Autumn’s Dream before “A Touch of Heaven” is the perfect starting point to get to know the band before going back to check out the rest of their catalog, if you are a long time fan of Last Autumn’s Dream then “A Touch of Heaven” will not disappoint at all. Simply put “A Touch of Heaven” is an excellent album worthy of your hard earned dollars.
Check out Last Autumn’s Dream on myspace at this link.
Rating: 
Out of 10
Track Listing:
01. Heaven And Earth
02. Caught In Between
03. Top Of The World
04. Candle In The Dark
05. Come Rain Or Shine
06. Heartbreaker
07. Last Mistake
08. See My Baby Jive
09. Renegade
10. What’s On Your Mind
11. How Long
12. Surrender
13. Jenny’s Eyes
Last Autumn’s Dream is:
Mikael Erlandsson (Lead Vocals, keyboards)
Andy Malecek (ex FAIR WARNING; guitars)
Nalley Pahlsson (TREAT bass, vocals)
Jamie Borger (TALISMAN; drums, vocals)
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