Musings: Grand Design - RAWK

The ‘80s are definitely back! Grand Design, the Swedish melodic rock/hair metal quintet, return with their sixth album, RAWK, set to be released on April 21^st via GMR Music. I was so happy to discover this band, they have an awesome sound! Why haven’t I heard of them until now? We need more music like this—it’s uplifting and unadulterated fun.

Grand Design has a similar sound to Def Leppard’s with vocals in a higher register. The album cover art with the band logo reminded me a bit of Tesla’s (the band, not the car). What’s inside said album is a polished collection of eleven superb hard rock tracks. The first track and first single, “Tuff It Out”, is old school rock at its finest, with vocal harmonies and a catchy chorus. “God Bless Rawk ‘n’ Roll”, the second single, is a monster of a song! It’s impossible not to sing along and it’ll stay with you long after the LP’s over. We get a fair share of ballads, from the energetic “Love or a Fantasy” to “Your Luv Is Drivin’ Me Crazy”, and the slower, ‘80s style “Desperate Hearts” which is one of the highlights of the album. There are also plenty of rockers on here as well, starting with “Dangerous Attraction”, an infectious rock tune and one of my top three faves, to “We Were Born to Rawk ‘n’ Roll”, a song that’ll make you wanna crank up the volume to 11. The penultimate track, “Get Out”, has classic, early Bon Jovi-type lyrics and vibe with a terrific guitar solo. My favourite song though, has to be the final track, “In the H.E.A.T. of the Nite”, which has a smoky, late night feel to it reminiscent of those classic ‘80s Whitesnake tunes.

Grand Design do arena rock anthems like the best rock bands of the ‘80s did. Chock-full of splendid guitar solos and weeping guitars, catchy choruses and harmonies galore, with high production values, this is a phenomenal album from beginning to end. Not a single dud here, folks. After half a dozen spins already, I’m gonna go so far as to give it my stamp for Best Album of the First Quarter of 2023. I kid you not, it’s that great. If you’re into Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and/or Poison, then I’m sure you’ll have a grand ole time with RAWK.

Grand Design’s Bandcamp page: https://granddesign.bandcamp.com/album/rawk