I've been really looking forward to this record ever since I heard the band's demo a few years ago, because these Swedes write some traditional 80's hard rock/metal songs like I haven't heard in years! I love it! Totally catchy and memorable with a good dose of heaviness and melody, great singing vocals with awesome harmonies, rocked out leads, the works. I'm telling you, if this band was around in the late-80's they could've been absolutely massive stars, ha! A couple of the songs have a more modern edge to some of the rhythms (see "Going Down in Flames" and especially "Loser on a King's Thone"), but they tend to be creative enough with their note choices and chord phrasings to keep things from getting too groovy, and the melody and singing always keep the classic 80's vibe in tow. "Way Up High" is even a bit of a "power ballad", complete with acoustic guitars and some fucking sweet solos. They've re-recorded a few songs from the demo here, including the awesome "Welcome to the Mystery", but the new tracks are right along the same lines. The recording is pretty good. The guitar tone could be slightly better, I guess perhaps warmer and more natural in a sense, but everything else sounds really good. The drums are great, the bass is hugely thick, the vocals are perfect, and the clean guitars are really bright and clear. The mix is a little on the thick side, but not to the point of being problematic. Really they just need a slightly clearer distortion on the guitars, with a balanced range of tones and crunch. It sounds fine though, the songs are excellent and they carry the record. Now I do have one major problem with this release, though thankfully it has nothing to do with the music. But everything about the layout is absolutely horrible. I'm honestly stunned as to why they decided to go this route. The entire record is plastered with cheesy computer colored illustrations of the band next to a doghouse, etc. "Cheesy" is an understatement. The fonts are no good, the colors are too over the top, the whole look is just not right for this - their self-released demo looked a million times more mature. But beyond that, I love this band. I hope they keep at it... because I really miss these types of songs. If you feel the same way, then this one's a must have.
[Lion Music]
Running time - 43:53, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: End of Our Days, Silent Scream, Welcome to the Mystery]
Dogpound - http://www.dogpound.da.ru
