Revertigo: Revertigo (Frontiers)

The dark horse in Swedish melodic rock band Treat’s discography is undoubtedly their self-titled 1992 album. It’s the lone Treat release to feature Mats Leven (Therion, Candlemass, about 20 other bands) on vocals, and never got the love the other Treat albums received. Fast forward a quarter century and Leven is reunited with Treat guitarist Anders Wikstrom for a new project that recaptures some of the chemistry they had in their brief Treat days. The project is called Revertigo, and their self-titled debut was recently released on the Frontiers label.

So the obvious benchmark for the Revertigo debut is Treat, especially more recent Treat, but you may end up reminded of Swiss rockers Gotthard more than anything else. Leven has that “clean with a little bit of gravel” kind of voice that’s reminiscent of the late Steve Lee, and the kind of hooks and melodies Wikstrom brings here are right in that classic ’80s and early ’90s European melodic rock zone. The two artists pair very well, and have a real songwriting chemistry together. The songs have some of the same quirky lyrics you might find on an Ammunition or Poodles album, but they’re catchy enough that it doesn’t matter. You’re simply not going to be able to resist songs like “Hoodwinked,” “Luciferian Breakup” and “Break Away,” and the slower “Unobtanium” has real heart and soul.

Being stuck somewhere between Treat and Gotthard is not a bad place to be at all. If you’re a fan of either band (or better yet both), Revertigo is an album you must hear. It’s a really strong melodic rock release all-around, and one that should appeal to fans of bands like The Poodles, Ammunition, Kryptonite, CoreLeoni and Fair Warning.