Groundbreaker

Groundbreaker, released by Frontiers on 14 September 2018, is the debut. It began not as a band but as a proposition. The starting point was a conversation between Frontiers president Serafino Perugino and Steve Overland, and Perugino's aim was plain: assemble the best of the European melodic rock scene and make a record for no purpose other than showing off Overland's voice. In Overland's own words, what they put to him was a retro, all-out 1980s AOR album. The writing was handed to Robert Säll of Work of Art and W.E.T., paired with Alessandro Del Vecchio's production. Overland liked the material the moment it was sent to him, and from there they finished the songs. The playing came from Säll on guitars, Nalle Påhlsson on bass, Herman Furin on drums and Del Vecchio on keyboards. Alongside FM, Overland already had Shadowman, The Ladder, Ozone, Lonerider and his own Overland albums; this joined a long queue of side work. The reception was warm enough that the label asked for a second one.