Stephen
Instead of sounding like Gotthard or Krokus, the Switzerland sextet chose to wander to the territory of German's melodic rock as in Jaded Heart or Charade, which isn't a coincidence that both bands were led by Michael Bormann, whom happened to be their executive producer as well. Ricci's vocal type is clearly heavily inspired by Bormann or Gary Hughes from Ten, he comfortably plays in the mid range with a thick timbre, and Sahara Rain's music seems to fit him perfectly, mostly midtempo, with around 3-4 ballads thrown in.
"Eternity", though doesn't contain a complex arrangement structure, but the majority notes they pick on each song is a bit unusual for a regular melodic rock band, especially on the verse. It requires multiple spins to grab the essence of a song but usually when it comes to Chorus, the catchiness and the beauty of typical melodic rock blossoms nicely. Take some songs such as "Heavy Times", "Forever Young", or "Holy Warrior", you may find the earlier part of those songs kinda patchy but you can't deny that it does have a wonderful chorus.
Several strong tunes here that need to be paid attention are "Will I Ever Be", "Shout It Out", and the two acoustical-driven power ballads, "Miss You" and "Since You've Been Gone". While I have a mix feeling on tracks like "Love Me Loud" or "Starlight", tracks like "Dreams Die Young" and "Live Earth" are quite good and better in terms of songs arrangement.
This one is a good release, a grower, but I expect more in the future, maybe stronger Verse/Chorus combination like in the early Harem Scarem or Casanova, maybe more memorable hooks that will caught you off guard in an instant spin. If you like Michael Bormann, Jaded Heart, Emerald Rain, or Ten, "Eternity" will suit your taste well.