SKULL PARADE – Skullparade (CD)

Swedish hard rockers Skull Parade (featuring former Treasure Land bassist Magnus Lind) released their debut in 2014, a pretty good debut indeed. The follow-up opens with a kick ass quirky hard rocker entitled Nightmare, which makes me think of both Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and TNT in their “Transistor” era. Nice melodies and cool guitar playing. Drained continues in the quirky vein with some really cool and odd chord changes. If you’re into bands like Galactic Cowboys and Matches For Maggie (sure, you wouldn’t know about them, would you?), these first two tracks should be right up your alley! Beyond Protection almost draws a bit on thrash or US power metal. Not a huge fan of the vocals in this one. The oddly entitled Lost Ball In High Weeds starts out with acoustic guitar and vocals, but soon turns into some strange doom type song with a touch of Metallica in the verse, while the chorus is almost a bit grungy. Interesting. Fair Weather Friend throws the ball in a totally different direction, fast but still quite proggy and with singer Erik Anell not trying to smooth things out. He’s a good singer, but he sometimes gets a bit too rough around the edges for my taste. Acid Rain starts out as an acoustic ballad and turns into a slick poppy thing, quite different from the previous songs. Train To Nowhere takes us back to the quirky, funny hard rock that started the album, and it’s definitely where the band catches my main attention. Awaken The Masses is another tracks that’s a bit hard to define. Great, quirky guitar playing, cool riffing, but the vocals is the letdown for me, I’m afraid. This 9-tracker finishes with Ballad Of Cloaks, a theatrical, doomy, semi-ballad. Actually not bad at all! Except for the f***ing saxophones… So, my general impression: a bit scattered, but it still comes together in a way, some great songs and some that didn’t attract me that much, great musicians, cool guitar solos, but the vocals are the weak link for me. Works great in some songs, but feels a bit too raw and untamed in others. Well worth checking out!

Janne Stark

Year: 2017

Country: Sweden

Label: Rexius Records

CLARK LANE - Smalltown Misery (CD-R)

Clark Lane is a Swedish band I’ve kept my eyes on for some time. Their previous demo showed tremendous potential, and I was actually quite surprised to see yet another demo instead of a debut album. These guys really deserve to get their album out. It’s not easy to describe the band’s sound as, even though there are influences from various places, they do have their own sound. Opener Smalltown Misery is a great melodic rocker with nice biting guitar work that reminds me a bit of TNT, while the songs fits in somewhere between Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and 3 Doors Down. Alive continues with a cool vibe that makes me think of Canadians Tonic in their heavier moments, still very contemporary and melodic. This band is definitely radio material. Great vocals, great musicians, killer songs with great arrangements and top notch production. What I really like is the quirkiness that pops out now and then in the riffing, melodies and arrangements. Expectations made me think of Hoobastank in the initial riffing, but this is actually a bit heavier, and this band takes quite different ways melodically, plus there’s a great guitar solo. This is really, really good stuff! Kharma and especially Wreckingball are even heavier with a touch of King’s X in the riffing, but with a totally different vocal vibe. Both are outstanding songs! All five tracks are actually killer and this band deserves all exposure they can get! This is new and fresh with a nod to the (semi-) old school.
Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Year: 2012
Label: none (CD-R demo) 

CLARK LANE – Bedroom Sessions (CDR)

Clark Lane live

Suck me sideways! The name doesn’t really say anything, the demo “layout” looks like it’s made by a kid, no contact info or song titles, but holy crap this band sounds good! The opening track made me think of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy meets TNT with a modern twist. Next up is a melodic modern riff-oriented rocker which really kicks ass. I’m not really sure what band to compare this to, as they do have a twist of their own. Great vocals, awesome musicians, killer guitarist and a really cool mix. At times the sound and style of the guitars makes me think of a mix of Ronnie Le Tekro (TNT) and Pete Lesperance (Harem Scarem). Next track makes me think of my favourite Norwegian band Jack In The Box with its quirky riffs and great harmonies. This is by far the best unsigned Swedish band I’ve heard this year! Awesome stuff! The songs have so many layers, with a simple melodic line on top and really complex rhythmic musical patterns underneath. This is music you can find new stuff in every time you listen to it. Stuff I truly love! The closing track follows in the same style and I am truly in love! This band should be signed sooner than as soon as possible! I NEED an album, I DEMAND an album!
Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Year: 2011
Label: none
Link: http://www.clarklane.se/

COLDSPELL - Infinite Stargaze (CD)

Coldspell is a Swedish band that I’ve followed closely since their highly promising demos. Since the demos have only had a few tracks it’s always interesting to see if a band can keep it up for an entire album. “Infinite Stargaze” kicks off with an instantaneous seventies oriented big phat kick in the private parts with opener “Keep On Believin”. But, does it stop there? The answer is an equally big and phat – NO! The train keeps a rolling. It’s great to hear a band that can keep the pace and quality at a high level track after track. This reminds me a bit of The Quill on their earlier stuff before they went more stoner, but it feels like Coldspell have done what The Quill never did, which is to refine the sound, the songs and style to perfection instead of switching musical track. Singer Magnus Swedentorp actually reminds me a bit of The Quill’s Magnus Ekwall mixed with former, long lost, Fifth Angel front man (now dentist) Ted Pilot, as he also has the same type of clean and penetrating voice. It fits perfectly to the guitar/keyboard driven wall of sound the band delivers. Tracks like the outstandingly heavy and riff-oriented “Eye Of The Storm” at times reminds me a bit of a heavier Led Zeppelin, especially in the vocal arrangements. Michael Larsson is a great bluesy, yet technical guitar player fitting the style perfectly. In “Straight Things Out” they take on a more southern tinged eighties touch, a bit like vintage Tesla or Tattoo Rodeo. This album also takes me back a bit to all those outstanding bands and albums that were shelved only because a certain trio from Seattle made the business decide melodic heavy rock was to be cast out, killed and extinguished. Well, fuck ‘em, Coldspell brings back the long lost glory of bands that should have been, like Black Bambi, Arti Tisi etc. (even though I doubt these guys have even heard of said bands). I also came to think a bit of the 1987 Whitesnake in tracks like “Surrounded”, but properly updated and fixed to the personal Coldspell perfection. Another band that came to mind a bit in this track and in some other spots is vintage TNT. This is starting to sound like a list of some of my favourite bands. Did I mention this is one hell of a great band? Debut of the year, no doubt about it!

/Janne Stark

Genre: Classic 70/80s hard rock

Label: Escape

Released: 2009

Country: Sweden

Website: http://www.coldspell.se/

NEONDAZE - Neondaze (CD)

Anyone remember a Swedish band that released a couple of albums in the nineties, called Pole Position? If you do, their guitarist Lars Boquist, a highly underrated one I might add, is now back in action walking the same old path he once created. Neondaze truly sounds like a Pole Position of the new millennium. Stylewise, soundwise and even the new singer Marcus Lundgren sounds very similar to Pole Position vocalist Jonas Blum. Dated? Nope. Some may also remember Lars from his melodic power metal band Reptilian, and even if there are some minor similarities, this is much better in my book. Besides Lars and Marcus, Neondaze consists of Jesper Malm on bass and Hampus Landin on drums. There are some outstanding heavy hitters on this album, such as the slightly Def Leppard-goes-heavy sounding “Livin” with Lars’ guitar slicing the air like a giant razor. Not to forget the subsequent stomper “Stop Crying” and album opener “Intoxicated”, which could be added to the “Highway Soundtrack #1” compilation. However, just like TNT, with whom they also have some similarities, just listen to “Evil In Mind”, there are a few songs that just won’t stick. “Critical Mass” is one I just can’t get a grip of and the ballads “Caroline” and album closer “Oullbemi Vampire” just won’t do it for me. Nice to see Mr Boquist back in action, and great to hear he’s still got the chops. A CD well worth checking out.

/Janne Stark

Genre: Melodi metal

Label: Music Buy mail

Country: Sweden

Year: 2008

Website: http://www.neondaze.net/