Metal Underground.com

Jaded Heart is one of those bands that historically only fans of classic rock and glam really favored. Even though they came out in the 90’s, these German rockers clung to the 80’s formula of lots of ballads and almost poppy tunes – until Johan Fahlberg took the reins as lead singer, that is. Now Jaded Heart has released their third album with Fahlberg, "Perfect Insanity," and those who chalked them up to just another hair band might be surprised by the end result.

For starters, there’s not a single ballad on the album. Sure, the intro is a little wacky with its dated space age sound and muffled phone message in the background that you can’t understand, which is probably a little too similar to old Pink Floyd music, but most of the songs lean more toward melodic power metal than rock.

Having said that, the first four or five tracks are pretty weak. There are some missteps in tempo and poor use of time in "Fly Away," which features a full minute of the same repetitive riff before Fahlberg takes the stage. The followup track, "Blood Stained Lies," features some backup vocals that reach operatic levels and are just downright scary. But by the end of the track, the guitars and drums offer up a nice mid-tempo power sound that almost makes up for it.

There’s a lot of repetitiveness in the tracks, but that’s probably a throwback to Jaded Heart’s reliance on 80’s fashioned melodies. Still, two tracks really stand out as being quality work. The first, "Freedom Call," will surprise the naysayers, with its DragonForce meets Dio sound, and Fahlberg’s vocals on this one are incredible – another indication that with him at the helm the band should embrace this new heavier sound.

The other gold star goes to "One Life One Death," which, though it isn’t a ballad, does feature an acoustic guitar and reminds me a bit of some of the old Warrant hold your lighter in the air tunes. It’s pretty, but also solid, with an excellent guitar shred to wrap things up.

Sure, Jaded Heart is struggling with a few bumps in the road with their change in lineup, but as they keep plodding away and moving into heavier waters, the change is a good one.