COLORSTONE - Into The Garden (CD)

With their roots in westcoast/AOR-oriented Malmö band Time Gallery, Colorstone attacks from a totally different angle. The band’s self-financed debut kicks off with heavy funk-oriented rocker Into The Garden Of Destruction which reminds me a bit of Dan Reed Network, but with a heavier bottom edge. When I come to think of it, it’s actually more similar to Stevie Salas Colorcode, but with vocals more similar to Dan Reed. Well, whatever, this is right up my alley! Killer song indeed! Second track, Silverspoon, is less funky but more driven and rocks out really well. Another killer track! Intoxicated keeps it up, and starts of with some bluesy harmonica. This one is actually more bluesy with cool neck pick-up Strat work going on. Things then mellow out a bit in Show Me The Way and Flowing, before the heavy rocker One Of A Kind pick it up again. I won’t go into all the tracks, just say that there are 17 tracks on the album. For me personally, I would remove 4-5 tracks I feel don’t really belong there. The Secret, for instance, feels like somewhat of a filler. The same goes for popster Solitude Waiting, which feels a bit misplaced but will probably appeal to fans of Time Gallery. Reducing it to 12 strong tracks would have made this one of the best Swedish releases of 2011. Well, it still is, of course, but that’s just me. However tracks like Silverspoon and Tonight's The Night are the type off stuff that gives me a musical hard-on! also, just realized I need to point out a few things. The band is so solid it's scary, plus I'm totally in love with guitarist Fredrik Bergengren's bluesy, funky and Hendrixy style of playing and singer Johan Dahlström's equally bluesy vocals. Killer stuff!

Janne Stark
Country: Sweden
Label: Self-release
Year: 2011