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Melodic Rock
Silver Lining Music
New Release
Erik Grönwall
Bad Bones
Reviewed in issue:
115
Release Date:
22 May 2026
Reviewed by:
🟣 Ant Heeks
For Fans Of
H.E.A.T
Eclipse
Nestor
Top three tracks
• Bad Bones
• Born To Break
• Praying for a Miracle
Fireworks Verdict:
"‘Bad Bones’ is the album that Erik Grönwall was born to make. Just excellent."
THE REVIEW
Words Of Wisdom!
What a ride it has been for Erik Grönwall; he arrived on the scene when he won his native Swedish Idol competition in 2009, receiving several standing ovations on his way to the title, but it was only a year later that he came to the attention and adoration of Hard Rock fans worldwide when he joined Melodic Rock hotshots H.e.a.t, over the course of four excellent albums assisting to completely reinvent and revitalise their sound. He received a Grammy nomination for his portrayal of Simon Zealotes in the NBC Live TV production of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2018, and following his departure from H.e.a.t in 2020 he found his calling as vocalist with Hard Rock legends Skid Row, a tenure that was unfortunately cut short way too soon when Grönwall had to prioritise his health and recuperation from leukemia. More recently, Erik has been fronting Michael Schenker’s band during his UFO celebration tour, and is now releasing his first solo album since 2010’s ‘Somewhere Between A Rock And A Hard Place’.
Anybody who’s aware of Grönwall knows what an amazingly dexterous vocalist he is, capable of handling just about any genre (as his covers albums ‘Eriksplanations’ allude to), but also lyrically he has come of age, the singer’s experiences in these last 16 years unquestionably offering a different outlook on his life. It’s no surprise that the likes of ‘Praying For A Miracle’, ‘Lost For Life’, the theatrical ‘Hell And Back’ and the moving, orchestral ballad ‘Written In The Scars’ make references to Erik’s health issues, while also allowing the listener to find their own interpretations.
"Anybody who’s aware of Grönwall knows what an amazingly dexterous vocalist he is."
And yet, if you don’t dig too deeply, you’ll find a singer at the top of his game delivering an album of quite brilliant, Melodic Hard Rock with huge choruses that stylistically most closely resembles the more diverse H.e.a.t era of ‘Into The Great Unknown’, from the first two singles ‘Bad Bones’ and ‘Born To Break’ to the unashamedly Queen-like ballad ‘Who’s The Winner Now’, while ‘How High’ bears more than a few similarities to H.e.a.t’s ‘Enemy In Me’ (from ‘Tearing Down The Walls’.)
"...you’ll find a singer at the top of his game delivering an album of quite brilliant, Melodic Hard Rock."
Deeply personal and undoubtedly cathartic, no matter what else he has done so far or will eventually do in his career, ‘Bad Bones’ is the album that Erik Grönwall was born to make. Just excellent.
Reviewer:
🟣 Ant Heeks
Let Us Know The Score!
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