BADHOVEN - "BEHIND THE MASQUERADE"
ATS RECORDS
RELEASE DATE: 2002

There's an old saying, "never judge a book by its cover."  I'm not sure that it completely applies here, but if you were to judge this "book" by its cover, you might miss out on an opportunity to find out about a really good band!  I must admit that at first, I too was wondering, "who are Badhoven?"  This question was soon answered, as I was pleasantly surprised by this Austrian melodic hard rock band.

First of all, I have to say that I have never in my life heard a group with a more unique sound than Badhoven.  I know I've mentioned in the past that some bands have a unique sound, but usually with them, it's easy to point out exactly what kind of sound they have, which song was influenced by whom, etc.  But that's not the case with Badhoven, who have released their interesting CD "Behind the Masquerade."  

As difficult as it is to talk about how this band exactly sounds, I'll say that contrary to what you might think, the band have no relation to Beethoven the famous composer (though there is a nice picture of him on the cover as well as in the CD booklet), and Badhoven do not play classical music, but rather, a unique, eclectic, and catchy form of melodic hard rock with big vocals and a great production.

But to even call them melodic hard rock does not do them justice, as the band have many different  sounds and influences, such as Dominoe, Sting, U2, Chicago, Craaft, Amaze Me and many other subtleties that I cannot even begin to mention.  As you can imagine, this results in having a wide variety of songs in the album.  You, as the listener, are going to have to listen to this band with an open mind, and if you do, you'll be rewarded, as there are many good and clever songs in this album (musically and lyrically speaking).  But even if you approach this album with a highly critical attitude, you won't be able to ignore the good songs on this CD and will eventually like at least a few aspects of the band.

So, I'm going to take you on a tour of "Behind the Masquerade," and perhaps after you've finished reading this review and listened to the CD, then you can really ask yourself, "what is behind the masquerade after all?"

Let's start off with "All or Nothing," a hard-hitting melodic hard rock song that starts off the album on a furious pace and introduces the unique sounds of this band.  This one starts with some European-style keyboards which eventually segue into a rhythm section that reminds me a bit of Amaze Me.  What we have here is an uptempo track with a swirling keyboard sound and heavy guitars.

Next we have "Rolling," which is a smooth melodic hard rock song with many hooks and is the most "traditional" sounding song of the lot.  This is one that fans of melodic hard rock are probably going to like at first listen, and indeed, this one has a catchy chorus which is sure to impress fans of the genre.  If you're looking for happy sing-along European melodic hard rock then this is your song!

"Wasted Time" introduces the melancholy and moody sound of the album, and it is in this song that we can hear the true abilities of Greilberger as a vocalist, as his powerful voice haunts you throughout the song and really adds to the mood of the track.  You will by now realise that he sounds a lot like Sting, except with a voice better suited to rock music and with even more range and power!

The opening seconds of "Girl Like You" may at first turn off some fans of AOR/melodic hard rock (with its funky keyboard sounds) but good things come to those who wait, and what you will get is a catchy and upbeat melodic hard rock song in the style of Craaft and Dominoe.   

And now for some attitude, with "Money," another hard-hitting song full of energy and clever lyrics as well.   In this song alone we have many different styles, such as the verse, which is a bit funky and reminds me of the "Big Time" album by Skagarack, and the chorus riff which is really powerful and will have you banging your head along to the song!

But no, we still haven't figured out the band, as they surprise me again with the title track, "Behind the Masquerade," which has a really nice and soft introduction, but then turns out to be a really catchy midtempo AOR song that people will also like at first listen.  This track, along with "Rolling," is the best song in the album because of the smooth and catchy AOR sound and great melodies, which will definitely hook the listener.

"I Am" returns us to the melodic hard rock again and is apparently a song about KC's love of playing music.  I am sure that musicians and non-musicians alike can relate to this song and will enjoy the positive message that it displays.

So we slow down things again, with "Dying for That Miracle," which is a power ballad, and shows another side to the band that you may not have expected before.  Whilst I have certainly heard better ballads, this is a good one that you might find yourself singing along to, as it has some nice melodies and a memorable chorus.

"Movie of my Life" is appropriately titled, as I think it would fit well on the soundtrack of a major movie.   This one is a combination of the softer sounds of the band, along with a clever keyboard sound which reminds me a bit of the earlier material of Sting, but certainly features the unique sound of the band.

Just when I think that I've finally figured out this band, they surprise me again with "Rockin Old Radio," a tune that sounds different from any other in the album and is a uptempo bluesy song with a big string section and a wicked blues harp solo!  You will have to listen to this one to believe it, but the band pull it off well and it does not detract from the album.

We then return to the melancholic sound, with "Spirit of the Lake," which slows down things and give us a welcome change.   This one is another power ballad with some similarities to "Dying for that Miracle," in that it has a nice chorus and melodies to go along with the atmospheric keyboard sound.

Finally, we end with "Let Yourself be Beautiful," which is an uptempo guitar and keyboard-driven song in which KC sounds a bit like Bono of U2, and KC pulls off another good vocal performance.  This one ends the album on a happy, bright note and will still leave you with the impression that this band is quite unique.

Even after listening to the entire CD a few times, and, even after writing this review, I can honestly say that Badhoven are the most unique melodic hard rock band I've heard yet.  There are certainly many styles on here, and the band perform all of them well. The production of the CD is superb, and it's evident that everyone in the band is a professional at what he does, but especially main man KC Greilberger, who sings and plays all the guitars, and has written all the songs.

All I can say is that fans of AOR/melodic hard rock should check out this band with an open mind, as there could be at least a few things that you will like about Badhoven.  Certainly fans of European AOR/melodic hard rock should look into this one, as this band have a really European sound and know how to combine various elements and sounds into their music.  As I mentioned in the review, there are only two outstanding tracks ("Rolling" and "Behind the Masquerade"), but the album as a whole is quite consistent.  I didn't find any bad songs on this one, and as I mentioned before, there will be something here for almost everyone.

But I still cannot tell you that I've figured out the band, or that you too will be able to figure them out.  But some things are better left unexplained, and that indeed is the magic of Badhoven, who weave a web of intriguing and interesting melodic hard rock music that deserves to be heard.

Please visit the official Badhoven web site, at: http://www.badhoven.com/