Eclipse - 'Viva La VicTOURia' Frontiers 6 November 2020

Those that enjoy the prolific and versatile Erik Martensson’s AOR side will have to wait for the imminent W.E.T release because this is a typical Eclipse show; full-blooded, anthemic, flag-waving guitar-driven melodic rock with not a keyboard in sight.

The album’s title is a derivation of the opening song ‘Viva La Victouria’ from their most recent studio release “Paradigm”. The first three songs come from that album and it is well represented throughout the set list alongside the best of their now extensive back catalogue. Crowd favourites seem to include “The Storm” with its ‘this is an emergency’ hook line, “Runaways” and “I Don’t Want To Say I’m Sorry”.

I have not seen the full DVD but the pre-release clips evidence a well-filmed show that seems to capture the energetic essence of the band. Martensson is in good form as frontman although he lets the music do most of the talking. Tub-thumping music like this needs a solid rhythm section and the Crusner brothers bring that. Philip, the powerhouse drummer, never misses a beat while Victor (bass) provides the showmanship and, together with guitarist Magnus Henriksson, he also adds the stellar backing vocals which are an important part of the band’s distinctive rabble-rousing sound.

In a contemporary set, some old favourites must miss out – there’s no “SOS” or “Bleed & Scream” - but the new songs are good. A cover of Lisa Miskovsky’s “Driving One Your Cars” is a very welcome newcomer. In fact, it appears twice as part of a bumper package of extras, including tracks from a recent ‘quarantine’ broadcast, acoustic versions and the usual DVD interviews and features.

Overall, it is a very tidy package from a band on peak form and if you’re quick you might still be able to pre-order it.