Singles review: DREAMS OF AVALON – Under the Gun & Young Wild Hearts

Two teaser tracks released over the last month by Joachim (Astral Doors) Nordlund’s Melodic Rock band, Dreams Of Avalon. The full album “Beyond The Dream” is due for release at the end of August, by the Metalville label.

It’s unadulterated Eighties’ Melodic Rock, highly derivative in construction and delivery. You’ll hear strong echoes of Bon Jovi and maybe even Blue Tears in the phrasing and melodies. Nothing wrong with that. If you’re going to ‘borrow’, borrow from the best. You can’t beat a bit of “running like the wind” or “hearts beating like a drum” to get you going. It’s the stuff that filled arenas and sold out lighter shops.

Both tracks have an unstoppable, rolling momentum, with ‘Young Wild Hearts’ evoking the FM Radio tones of Gregg Fulkerson’s ‘Rockin With The Radio’, and the punchier, more orchestrated ‘Under The Gun’ slowly and less deliberately revealing the sonic signature of Astral Doors. We should hope that the merged marriage of AOR and Symphonic Rock on the latter track is emblematic of the album as a whole.

It works, like…er, a dream. ****

Review by Brian McGowan

Hear them both here and here

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Power Plays w/c 10 March 2025

THE SOUL REVIVAL Outlaw (indie)
WHEN RIVERS MEET Addicted To Love (indie)
ISABELLA STORM Satan’s Valentine (indie)
KEYSTONE Slow Down Honey (indie)
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE Sleep Tonight (Metropolis Records)
SAWMOON Madness (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 10 March 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2024 (Singer Songwriter)