A classy album full of strong melodic riffs, classy vocal performances, a warm sounding production, and above all else, some great songs.

Torben Enevoldsen has returned with his Acacia Avenue project, and in my opinion, any chance to hear the songs and guitar work of this man is a very good thing indeed. Helping out Enevoldsen we have a stellar line-up of vocalists, including Peter Sundell (Grand Illusion), Dagfinn Joensen (Fate), Torben Lysholm (Pangea, Mysterell), Nicklas Sonne (Enevoldsen's Section A band) and Michael Bastholm Dahl (Artillery). These, in turn, are ably assisted by Section A/Fatal Force drummer Dennis Hansen and Enevoldsen himself, who plays most everything else.

If you've heard any of the three previous Acacia Avenue albums, you'll know that the band's music is an infectious blend of Scandi Melodic/Hard Rock topped off with the glorious guitar playing of Enevoldsen; 'World's Apart' is another fine addition to the band's musical canon.

The album opens with the powerful trio of 'Stand Up And Shout', the title track and 'Out Of Control', and from these three songs, you will quickly realise that melody rules and the superb guitar solos of Enevoldsen are worth the price of admission all on their own. 'Fly Away' follows this boisterous start and it's a more laid-back and cooler sounding track which shows that Enevoldsen, as both a writer and performer, is far from being a one trick pony.

'Mine All Mine' has an early Van Halen flavour to its riffing, whilst the keyboards on 'Reaching Out' have a '5150' thing going on, although the vocals bring this song back to a more Scandi-type eighties vibe. 'Don't Chain My Heart' has a bluesy vocal and riff, which again shows the versatility of Enevoldsen's writing, whereas the closing duo of 'Wait For Love' and 'Chasing Starlight' are bright, fun songs, and they're a great way to finish off the album.

I'm a little biased when it comes to Enelvoldsen's work. I'm a huge fan of his many bands and projects, and an even bigger fan of his guitar playing. However, putting that aside, he and his compatriots have recorded a classy album full of strong melodic riffs, classy vocal performances, a warm sounding production, and above all else, some great songs.

Ian Johnson