Review | Heaven’s Reign – Northern Lights

Pride & Joy Music

Heaven’s Reign is a new hard and heavy rock band from the UK but the musicians are certainly not without the necessary experience. Three members including vocalist Rik Cayton have been together for years in the formation Rollin Thunder sharing the stage with names such as UFO and Bryan Adams. And when you hear their ten-track debut-album ‘Northern Lights’ that experience shines through in the performances.

TO THE POINT

These boys believe in songs that are to the point. The bulk of the tracks clock just over 3 minutes, with one or two exceptions just going over 4 minutes. It is straight rocking when opener ,,City Sights’’ rushes through your speakers. The songs are without any extras, the focus is on getting right in your face. And for most of the time that simple recipe works for Heaven’s Reign. Cayton has a big reach and bring it across without showing any weaknesses, the guitarists are not afraid to riff along and the rhythm section is pretty tight.

HEAVEN’S REIGN – THE CONCLUSION

The only thing you can accuse the band of perhaps is that the songs possibly predictable. Sure, there are two tracks there (,,Listen To Your Heart’’ plus ,,Born To Fly’’) that are power ballads, so there is some variety. But the bulk of the album contains rather one-dimensional songs that have the advantage that they sound really good. The production of ‘Northern Lights’ is powerful indeed and the mix is on the crispy side. Add to that a decent level of musicianship and you have a British newcomer with a very satisfying start of their career. If they can add a higher level of consistency and possibly some more fantasy in their compositions, we might have a group that can carve out a place in the UK and the rest of Europe. For now, their start is certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

Release date: 28 February 2025