CAPTAIN BLACK BEARD – Before Plastic (CD)

I have bit of a hard time deciding what I really think of this album. On one hand it’s a bit too poppy and happy for what I’m mostly into. The opening track “Please Come Home” reminds me of Swedish colleagues The Gloria Story, but I do like the Black Beards better. The song does have some cool intricate moments in the mid section. I’ve however always had a problem with “wooohooohoohooh” singalong vocals. “Somebody” sounds a bit Cheap Trick, which is ok by me, but I think it’s the vocals that lack the attitude that lifts the song for me. It’s by no means bad, just a little too mainstream. “Bad Girl” however is a really nice classic AOR number with a killer chorus and a nice melodic guitar solo. Not sure if the band really needed the lead guitar help of Tommy Denander, Mats Karlsson (220 Volt) and Bruce Kulick, but it is of course some added value. “Music Man” is also a nice melodic hard rocker with a touch of Kiss. There are some tracks that really stick out for me, in a positive way. I really love the riffy, intense hard rocker “Shout”, the boogie-oriented “Life’s What You Make It” and “Takin’ You Out” that also has quite a Kiss sounding pre-verse riff. Despite some moments that are a bit too slick and poppy for yours truly, this album does have its bright moments.

Janne Stark

Year: 2014
Country: Sweden

Label: Dead End Exit

CAPTAIN BLACK BEARD - Captain Black Beard (CD)

I can’t say the name really excites me, but luckily enough the music does. The album kicks off with a couple of high class party oriented mood raisers. High octane major scale straight ahead hard rock ‘n roll. Third track Rock Is My Life kicks the ball in a whole different direction bringing in some very pop-oriented touches in the verse, with a highly AOR-oriented bridge and chorus. American Dream continues in the same direction and I do feel a little bit confused about what type of the band these boys aim to be. Concrete Jungle also features a lot of pop-oriented melodies, but here in a bit more modern way. Singer Sakaria has a clear, clean and really good voice which fits the style perfectly. By Ex-Convict the picture is now quite clear Captain Black Beard is actually more of a pop-oriented melodic rock band than a bunch of party rockers. The first two tracks fooled me a bit there. They do have a highly personal touch to their sound and music and I can’t really say they remind me of any other band. I do get some vibes of long lost band Superfly 69 in some places, like in No Worries, but apart from that I’m a bit lost for comparisons. True Love has some really nice heavy guitar playing, but the vocal melodies screams summer pop. The album ends like it started with some straight ahead party rock in Rockin’ Body. The verse riff gives it a sleazy metal feel, but apart from that it doesn’t really fit the genre. This is actually good, but I can’t really figure out where to place the band. The hard rock approach mixed with the very poppy melodies does confuse me a bit at times. My absolute favourite tracks are the two opening tracks and I sort of wish they would have kept that spirit up a bit more.
Janne Stark
Label: Self-released
Country: Sweden
Year: 2011