Perfect View rises from Italy, a current hotbed of all things classic, melodic, and AOR rock in the last several days. Hold Your Dreams is this quintet's debut on Germany's Avenue of Allies label. The Perfect View members have significant musical pedigrees having donated their talents to many regional artists. Drawing from a rich melodic rock heritage Perfect View references Toto, Winger, Journey, among others for their inspiration.
Consequently, Hold Your Dreams fits squarely into the famous AOR melodic rock camp. This is abundantly clear from the first five songs which are generally smooth and innocuous offerings, nearly on the border of the West coast sound. Though adequate, this beginning isn't that auspicious, and honestly I wasn't that impressed (except maybe for the fine ballad A Reason to Fight). If you would stop here you would have an unbalanced view of Perfect View (excuse the unintended pun).
Beginning with I Need Your Love, Perfect View steers a course through different waters. The songs trend towards a heavier sound, especially on I Need Your Love, Showtime, and Speed Demon. The later has a real edge to it, bordering on melodic hard rock or metal. In the midst of these you find Run, a fast paced rocker that bounds over the early softer melodic rock yet still capturing the heaviness of the aforementioned tunes. The disc ends where it began with a smooth AOR ballad, Where's the Love.
Through the course of listening there's no doubt about the significance of the song composition or the musicianship. Vocalist Massimiliano Ordine has got to be one of the best new melodic voices out there. However, Hold Your Dreams is a study in contrasts, a lighter side against a heavier side. Fortunately, the band has the skill to pull of both ends of the melodic rock spectrum. Determining which side is the better course for them or the one you like could be a challenge. Nevertheless, Perfect View's Hold Your Dreams is an entertaining AOR melodic rock listening experience, and could be AoA's best offering this month. Recommended.