Into the Great Unknown

Into the Great Unknown is the fifth album, on which H.E.A.T renders its big choruses and melodic-hard-rock drive through a broader soundstage and modern texture. Under the production of Tobias Lindell, used again, the band recorded it at Karma Sound studios in Thailand. Erik Grönwall's soaring, powerful voice dominates throughout, and Dave Dalone returned on guitar in place of the departed Eric Rivers. Rather than merely recreating eighties hooks, it boldly takes in electronic accents and experimental arrangement. The drive of “Bastard of Society” declares the album's direction, and the lead single “Time on Our Side” offers a lyrical melody. From the introspection of “Redefined” to the bluesy feel of “Best of the Broken” and the grandeur of the seven-minute-plus title track “Into the Great Unknown,” the scenery changes greatly from song to song. As Classic Rock magazine called it their “most complete album,” it is an ambitious work that greatly widened their range and depth. It became the last studio album of Grönwall's tenure, marking a peak.