Panorama: Around the World (Rock of Angels)

2018 gets off to a good start with the debut offering from Panorama, a melodic hard rock group made up of some familiar names. Formed by Gods of Silence guitarist Sammy Lasagni and Random Eyes vocalist Christian Palin, Panorama also features guitarist Ben Varon (Amoral), drummer Philipp Eichenberger (Gods of Silence) and none other than Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Unisonic) on bass and handling production/mixing/mastering. The Gods of Silence debut was one of my favorite releases in 2017, and Dennis Ward has the magic touch, so I was very interested to hear what Panorama had to offer.

Around the World is the band’s debut offering, and it quite the melodic hard rocker. Not quite as metallic as Gods of Silence, but it still has a metal edge. It actually sounds quite a lot like a Pink Cream 69 album, which is not a bad thing at all. Melodic, with plenty of punch, and songs that stick with you. Palin, who you may also remember from Adagio (or Magic Kingdom), makes the move from power metal to melodic rock seamlessly, bringing a great range and fantastic sense of emotion in his delivery.

The album has it’s share of straight-up rock n’ roll songs, but Panorama is at their best on the heavier, more inspirational songs like “Standing My Ground,” “World on Fire” and “The Glory Within.” Sometimes you just need an electrified anthem to get your spirits up, and these guys do that kind of song really well. Other standouts on Around the World include the full-speed, fist-pumping rocker “Shout It Out” and even the more laid back not-quite-a-ballad “One For All.”

Around the World is an extremely strong debut album from a band that certainly knows their way around the melodic hard rock genre. Fans of Pink Cream 69 and Gods of Silence in particular ought to love what Panorama is all about, but this should appeal to fans of bands like Pretty Maids, Jorn, Masterplan and Shakra as well.