Review LANDFALL “Wide Open Sky”

Landfall is a rock band from Curitba, Brazil. The band was founded by drummer Felipe Souzza and guitarist Marcelo Gelbcke. The two guys have known each other since childhood and have been playing music together since they were 15 years old.

They released three albums as Wild Child before changing the band name to Landfall in 2017. It was also around this time that vocalist Gui Oliver joined the band, and “Wide Open Sky” is the first release to be published through Frontiers Music.

Landfall is very much into melodic rock / AOR and the upbeat opener “Tree of Life” gives a good idea of what to expect from this release. Equipped with a solid production and a powerful sound, this four-piece from Brazil shows that it’s not only thrash metal and death metal that comes from this country. The guys have a great sense of melody, which is the backbone of rockers like “No Tomorrow” as well as the pounding “Hourglass”. The latter, clocking in at six minutes, is a highlight on the album as it shows the range of Landfall’s sound. The guys certainly have good songwriting skills, as “Hourglass” is consistently exciting.

Another important factor is frontman Gui Oliver. If you listen to the breathtaking “SOS” you will realize that there are passages where he almost sounds like Bruce Dickinson. Listen to the bridge and the chorus. It is amazing.

In the past Oliver has also written songs for Jimi Jamison, Bobby Kimball and Issa. He is an experienced songwriter and the songs on “Wide Open Sky” benefit from that.
“Wide Open Sky” is a good rock album that bridges the worlds of catchiness and hardness. Never giving too much room to either pole, Landfall launch songs that are solid and entertaining. The album may not have the big “wow” moment, but it impresses with great craftsmanship and full commitment.