Review OUT OF THIS WORLD ‘Out of This World’

‘Out of This World’, there was something once. Well, Dutch prog rockers Kayak have an album with that name and right, Europe’s fourth album was also called ‘Out if This World’. And here is the connection to a new project with the same name.

The mastermind behind Out Of This World, the band, is none other than Kee Marcello, the guitarist who can be heard on Europe’s ‘The Final Countdown’ sequel. Together with Tommy Heart, known from Fair Warning, Ken Sansin (b) and Darby Todd (d) the axeman started a new project, which shows cross-connections to the mentioned record not only concerning the name.

Melodic hard rock, that’s what Out Of This World put on record, music reminiscent of the late ’80s. The whole thing went so far that during the search for a name the suggestion of Kee Marcello’s Europe came up, but fortunately it was quickly discarded.

The debut album clearly carries the signature of a time when melodic and anthemic hard rock was booming. A catchy hardness, paired with good hooks and irresistible melodies, that’s what characterized Europe and that’ s what Marcello picks up again with his new project. At the same time, this project and its first album is more than just a rehashed record from the heyday of keyboard-laden hard rock. Out Of This World show a playfulness and have some fun playing these songs. And while we had it about keyboards, it’s Don Airey who adds an extra touch to a song or two with his keyboard artistry.

Listening to the songs, ‘In a Million Years’ catches your eye, or better gets into your ears. The song should have been originally on ‘Prisoner in Paradise’ and now finds a spot on this debut album. Furthermore, it is the opener ‘Twilight’ that surprises by being seven minutes long. Such a monumental start to the album was not anticipated, but also shows that Out Of This World can offer more than just short and catchy ear-pleasers.

From hard rock to melodic metal, that’s the fast and wild ‘The Warrior’. Here we are facing an energy-boost before ‘Up to You’ brings back the rocking aspect of the band with a chorus being sugar-sweet but not sticky. Some of the songs might be a bit average, like ‘Aint’ Gonna Let You Go’, but there is enough good material on this debut that compensates for some standardized moments. The soulful and touching ‘Only You Can Teach Me How To Love Again’ is an emotional moment on the album that is beyond a cookie-cutter approach.

Out Of This World awakes memories of the good old time and at the same time transfer the vibe of the ’80s into the here and now. Fans of well-crafted and anthemic hard rock, created with a great sense for good melodies, should check out this debut.