Space Vacation - melodic metal from California

Space Vacation

White Hot Reflection

Pure Steel Records

April 29th 2022

The melodic traditional band Space Vacation (California, U.S.) is now on its fifth album since its 2008 formation. If the question is, what is most ear-friendly melodic heavy metal in 2022? The answer might be Space Vacation, a type of European-U.S. sound combination of Priest/Scorpions/Maiden and Van Halen/Night Ranger/Sammy Hagar/Y & T. The choruses and singing style are closer to Night Ranger, which is to say that it is exceedingly easy on the ears. The guitar playing is mostly traditional melodic riffs and solos and some shredding. Speaking of Night Ranger, Space Vacation has a song called “Don’t Say It,” which could function as a cousin song to the classic arena hit “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me.”

The album is 13 tracks in one hour, and of those, 12 are songs and another track is a Van Halen-style nice, gentle tapping track called “Sleep Tight.” The guitar player could probably do a solo album of songs like that every month. It’s a short two-minute fun little number, not a song.

Space Vacation is classic-rock-based melodic metal, generally speaking. However, listeners should be warned about some of the lyrics like the opening song “Reign in Hell” or “Being Evil,” which makes them seem like a pro-devil and pro-hell band. Such lyrics may be a turnoff for people who want “fun metal,” not “some jailbird creep who works at Walgreens” telling them about the power of Satan. (To which those people will reply, “If Satan is so powerful, then why does your little band have only 11 people, including your girlfriends, at the local bar when you play a show? Why is Satan not helping y’all to rule the world?”.) Most of Space Vacation lyrics seem ok, and some are even funny in a good way, like on the song “Middle Ages,” with its golden oldies rock vibe singing about a middle-aged person taking pills, going to bed on schedule and being tired all the time. What American mom would not identify with those lyrics about mental and physical exhaustion, right?!

To end, Space Vacation is solid, full of good songs. The melodic, gentle, soft-on-the-ears singing helps.

SPACE VACATION - Reign in Hell (Official Video)

Middle Ages

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