Heart Full of Fire (Spinefarm)

It’s hard to imagine this AOR masterpiece fulfilling its purpose much better than it already does. However, hearing Heart Full of Fire for the first time on cassette in 1986 on a yellow Sony Walkman would undoubtedly have been the coolest thing. Original isn’t the word for Brother Firetribe’s distillation of everything that once put Bon Jovi, Journey, and Van Halen atop the charts. Still, you can’t help but embrace the soaring choruses, ultra-catchy arrangements, and sheer sense of euphoric fun that permeates the Finnish fivesome’s sophomore release. This is a stellar tribute to what mainstream rock lost with the early ’90s advent of grunge, and has never truly regained.

The band is the side project of Nightwish guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and he clearly loves exploring more jubilant territory than Nightwish’s gothic, operatic ambience offers. Soak up his Neal Schon–like melodies and Van Halen–esque trills. Meanwhile, Pekka Ansio Heino (Leverage) stakes his claim as the best singer in Finnish rock today, cranking up the octave-spanning histrionics on “Game They Call Love” and going full Jovi on the title track’s breakneck duet with Nightwish’s Anette Olzon. After that, Tomppa Nikulainen’s bouncy synths define the nostalgic drive of “Heard It on My Radio”. Yes, this is a perfect slice of pure, unrepentant summer.