White Widdow: Victory (AOR Heaven)

Just when I had my “best melodic rock albums of 2018” list all sorted, here comes a new album from Australian melodic rock masters White Widdow. I’ve been in love with this band’s old school melodic rock approach since their self-titled 2010 debut, and they haven’t released a less than excellent album since then. The new album, their fifth to date, is called Victory, and they might as well go ahead and take a victory lap because this is a winner.

You know right from the start, when the ’80s soundtrack-worthy title track kicks in that Victory is going to be another classic White Widdow album, and keyboard-heavy melodic rockers like “Second Hand Heart” and “Late Night Liaison” (which totally sounds like a White Sister song) only hammer that fact home. I love the balance between the unapologetically retro keyboards and the melodic (and just flashy enough) guitar work, and vocalist Jules Mills has such a powerful presence on these songs. Even more so when his brother Xavier is backing him up. Those vocal harmonies (see “Love and Hate” and “Reach Up”) are gold every time out.

2018 has been nothing short of an amazing year for new melodic rock, so it says something about how good Victory is when I say it’s one of the best melodic rock albums this year has to offer. It has the perfect mix of keyboard-oriented classic melodic rock like Giuffria and White Sister, new melodic rock like Houston and Brother Firetribe and even the new synthwave bands like Lebrock and Magic Dance. Don’t let this one pass you by.