Are You Ready to Rock

Are You Ready to Rock is Eclipse's third album, made after a few years' recharge with the guitars' sonic weight cranked up all at once. On the melodic-hard foundation built over the previous two albums, it polishes higher energy and singalong choruses, pushing arena-scale drive recalling Whitesnake, Dokken and Scorpions to the front. With drummer Robban Bäck and keyboardist Johan Berlin in the lineup, it forgoes ballads and lines up racing rock numbers in one breath. Around this time Erik Mårtensson also sang lead on an album by Brazen Abbot, widening his activities. From the Dokken-esque sharp riff of the opener "Breaking My Heart Again" to the high tension of "Under the Gun" and "Hard Time Loving You" and the outstanding chorus of "Million Miles Away," airtight songs continue. Erik Mårtensson's soaring singing and Magnus Henriksson's shredding guitar act as one, reviving the essence of 1980s melodic metal for the present day. An accomplished gem long loved by fans as an early classic.