I find it a little amusing that the two biggest guys here on Metal Reviews, Mike and myself, both enjoy good hearty slabs of hooky AOR rock. We’re suckers for this brand of highly infectious enjoyable music and rightfully so. There’s something about Melodic Rock that resonates within its listeners. Maybe it’s the lyrics, maybe it’s the heartfelt conviction of the musicians for playing a brand of rock that is completely uncool. Harem Scarem is one of the leaders in this small field and their newest outing, Human Nature is everything a fan could want in an album. One of the unique aspects of this Canadian band is that no two albums of theirs sounds alike. Yes, musical similarities may appear (Higher is often mentioned in the same sentence as the debut because both contain mellower moments) but each time a new album is put inside my stereo I honestly don’t know what to expect. Human Nature contains every element that makes this band great. Big huge choruses, sweet layered harmony vocals, a sense of dark moodiness, and those one of a kind guitar licks from Pete Lesperance are all present.

From the very start, the title track lets us know that the more melodic side of the band is rearing its head here. A silky guitar lead opens the cd in a rocking fashion and as I’m still getting used to what is going on the chorus comes into play and hammers itself in my head. The pace of greatness doesn’t let up over the next two tracks, Next Time Around and Caught Up In Your World are both fine examples of how to lay down the law when it comes to writing a chorus for people to sing along with. Caught Up In Your World, along with 21 contain those dark moody moments in them that are obviously carried over from Overload. While I wasn’t a big fan of Overload, these particular songs work because the band has worked out the kinks that plagued their last release. Instead of maintaining an overbearing atmosphere that never relents, they manage to blend them with their signature sound . The end result is a great mixture of poppy rock music and moody temperaments. One of the things that I like the most about Harem Scarem in their present incarnation is that while these guys are a throwback to 80’s styled rock, they maintain a modern edge to their music that is greatly appreciated. This is evident on Tomorrow May Be Gone and Don’t Throw It Away. Both utilize guitar tones that would sound right at home in a rock band of 2007’s rehearsal room. The verse delivery by Harry is also not the typical build up to a big arena anthem. If you enjoy Harem Scarem songs like Lost or Outside Your Window then you will also find these songs on Human Nature to be to your liking as well. I must also point out that the Japanese version of the album contains an acoustic version of the song Higher as a bonus track. I know that this is just a bonus but hearing this track in this way is just a perfect way to serve up a royal dénouement to close out a definite 07 highlight.

Human Nature is one of the best ways to kick off 2007, at least in an auditory manner. I mean Keira Knightley and Elisha Cuthbert could somehow find themselves in my neck of the woods for some shenaniganry but until that happens this is the next best thing. Even if you aren’t a melodic rock aficionado like Mike and myself, Human Nature is the type of album that has a universal appeal to all fans of rock music. For long time Harem Scarem fans this release will be a prized collection of the H section on your cd racks so no worries there. To newcomers of the band, this is as good a place to start as any,