Manages to evoke the spirit of Queen in their glorious seventies heyday and drag it into the 21st century.

Swedish band JONO began life as a solo project of singer Johan Norrby with a self-titled debut in 2006, but have since expanded to a full band venture featuring Johan Carlgren (keyboards), Janne Henriksson (bass), Leo Olsson (guitars) and Within Temptation members Stefan Helleblad (guitars) and Nicka Hellenberg (drums), Along the way JONO has released the albums 'Requiem' in 2003 and 'Silence' in 2015. I must admit, I was previously unaware of JONO, but I like what I hear here.

They have been lumbered with the Progressive description and I kind of get where that reference comes from, but I wouldn't really say the material was any more overly complex than any of Rush's eighties output. Instead, partly thanks to Norrby's dramatic and almost Operatic vocal delivery, JONO owe a larger debt of gratitude to the overblown and theatrical style of the likes of Queen, Supertramp, Meatloaf, Sparks and, yes, The Darkness. However, most importantly, amid all the pomp and circumstance, the songs are full of irresistible melodies.

JONO manage to create a pretty impressive wall of sound, only the sparser closing ballad 'The March' easing back on the power yet retaining the drama, and while the guitars are very much present, the solos are kept to a minimum, with the flamboyant keyboards of Carlgren taking the higher ground and acting as the perfect foil to Norrby's expressive vocals.

It's certainly not your average Swedish Melodic Rock, at times it's as bonkers as it is brilliant, at others as camp as Christmas, but it manages to evoke the spirit of Queen in their glorious seventies heyday and drag it into the 21st century. I fully understand it won't appeal to everybody's tastes, but I would recommend you check out the videos for 'No Return' and 'Crown' online, and if you like what you hear, then you'll love the rest of 'Life'.

Ant Heeks