Nordic Union – the project formed by Pretty Maids alumnus Ronnie Atkins and Eclipse main man Erik Martensson – have made it to album number two, and, despite this being a project rather than a ‘proper’ band, there’s a pleasing continuity between this album and its predecessor, released a couple of years ago by Frontiers.

The problem, as noted by my elder and better Scott Adams in his review of that debut offering, lies in the overall familiarity of the material – largely generic, if enjoyable, Euro hard rock – and the fact that Atkins is something of a giant in his own right in Euro metal circles. His voice is instantly recognisable, meaning the immense shadow of Pretty Maids is going to loom large over everything Nordic Union attempts, no matter how good the results.

So, let’s try to concentrate on the positives – there really are some top tunes on Second Coming; the quasi balladic New Life Begins is a superb example of its kind, whilst Breathtaking is, you guessed it… just that. Atkins puts in a spine-tingling shift at the coalface, backed by a rousing piece of song writing that really does see Martensson at his very best. The chiming guitars underpinning the vocal bring latter day Whitesnake to mind one moment, the pompous overdrive of Avantasia the next, the whole thing being one of the better things Frontiers have released this year. It’s well worth a listen – a purchase, even – if you’ve a yen for classic bombast straight out of the old school. More modern in sound but no less compelling is Die Together, which has a dread whiff of Nickelback about it but isn’t actually all that bad if truth be told…

At the end of the day, we’re in the presence of two supreme craftsmen when we listen to Second Coming; for many that will be enough (and certainly when Erik peels off the quite superb solo on the Europe-inspired Rock’s Still Rolling it’s hard not to get swept up in the majesty of it all) – but, if you like your bands just a little more on the, well, bandy side, then there might just be too much generic facelessness for you to stomach. Me? I’m still on the fence, but I think album number three might well be a bit of a stormer, if they get that far…

Second Coming is out now.