SPARKLANDS / TOMOCYCLUS (2013)

This new melodic rock/AOR band, SPARKLANDS, originate from the Netherlands, and "Tomocyclus" is their debut album. Brothers Thomas Riekerk ( vocals) and Robert Riekerk ( guitars , keyboards) from the beginning had in mind to release an album full of classic AOR sound with influences from their legends such as Toto and Richard Marx combined with a modern and big production and a strong dose of today's Scandinavian melodic rock scene.



Music was always brothers Riekerk their first love. Posters of Bad English, Giant, Toto and Foreigner were everywhere on the walls of their childhood age rooms and in every corner there were guitars and amps.
So, their dream was always to create a record -based on the above mentioned bands and the result of this labor of love it was presented here with this debut effort! Simple and extremely melodic riffs and solos, beautiful and clever orchestrations, very good performances and generally good songs are some of the things you will encounter in "Tomocyclus".

Some of the many highlights of the album are the melodious and 'uplifting' "Oasis", the amazing "Joanne", referring to TOTO, "Open Your Eyes", the amazing harmonic tune of "Shattered Dream" and "The Feeling Is Gone".

The truth is that hardly anyone finds a bad time or a filler here . As I said already above, this album is a tribute to the giants of the melodic rock music played with passion where these guys put their own identity and the final result will fascinate every single fan of the classic AOR sound!
Heavy Paradise's Rating : 8/10

Track List :

01 - The Game

02 - Skyline

03 - Joanne

04 - Oasis

05 - Shattered Dream

06 - Afterlife

07 - State Of Mind

08 - The Feeling Has Gone

09 - Sparklands (instrumental)

10 - Let Sparks Fly

11 - Lost In Space And Time

12 - Let It Out

13 - Open Your Eyes

14 - Tomocyclus