Sweden have a knack for turning out bands which excel in metal and hard rock. Whether this is to do with something in the air or water which I mentioned previously with regards to the Scandinavian metal scene or whether this is due to the Swedish state paying professional musicians to teach children how to actually make music and play an instrument is yet to be decided.
Dynamite are a four piece hard rock band from “a small town in Sweden where there isn’t much to do except play rock n roll and to write songs” as their guitarist put it. And judging by this newest release, “Blackout Station”, they’ve got the knack of writing songs and for playing rock n roll. They picked their name citing they were explosive and their sound would blow people away. Let’s light the fuse then and see what happens.
The album opens with the title track and within the first minute of the song, you can sense it is building up to something big. The overdriven guitars and the basic drum beat layer over a sample of a train pulling in before the band kick it up for their full bodied sound. For a moment you’d think you were listening to an AC/DC song from the “Powerage” era and when the vocals kick in you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that. Mattis, the vocalist seems to draws his inspiration from the late and great Bonn Scott with a gravelly, ballsy swagger and in the chorus, the gang styled backing vocals re-enforce this classic rock vibe. The simplistic rhythm and blues style soloing tops it off.
The rest of the album follows in a similar style. “Talk is cheap” is a pounding number with an aggressive bite in the lyrics, “Burn it down” has quite a catchy hook and chorus with the gang vocals playing a call and respond style, paying tribute to causing trouble and burning things which isn’t always a bad thing. “Hail Rock n Roll” is a short number which pretty much sounds like what its title is – an ode to rock n roll.
“Long Way Home” starts off with some harmonica parts and low rasped vocals before it kicks back in with the usual explosive sound of the band. The vocalist belts this one out with some pretty impressive raw high vocals and the band provides another pounding rhythm to bang your head to, another track with a huge AC/DC feel to it. “Grind for a dime” has a more ZZ top like feel to it, an upbeat number with a fast blues style sound which talks about doing what has to be done to get the cash so you can do what you want to do. “Give it to me” keeps up the 70’s styled rock n roll revivalist sound which sounds very similar to Airbourne’s “too much, too young, too fast” in parts, further cementing the AC/DC influence this band seems to have.
“Hard to please” is a quick, fast paced number which has the 12-bar blues feel to it, but with a lot more urgency about it and it goes perfectly into “Damn you woman (mojo)” which keeps up the fast paced blues rock sound with a healthy dose of sleaze and some licks which sound pretty similar to “High Voltage” by AC/DC. “Wild and Untamed” closes the album. Its opening riffs ring very similar to “For those about to rock”, building a sense of anticipation. You almost expect to hear the iconic “Yeah!” from Brian Johnson but instead a sample of a lion roaring takes its place. It kicks in with the usual speed and venom of the rest of the album and it stays true to the styles the band have used all album – gang vocals in the chorus, raw vocals with plenty of grit and balls and perfectly timed guitars and drums keeping the rhythm going and maintaining the groove.
Overall, the album is a solid example of the revivalist 70’s classic rock sound which seems to be getting popular again, but it’s hard to listen to it without expecting the band to burst into an AC/DC number at any given point on the album. Not to say that sounding very similar to the Aussie rock titans is a bad thing, it’s helped bands like Airbourne along with their high energy shows and catchy songs. It just seems to take away from how good Dynamite actually are. Remembering that this is only their second album, there is plenty of time for the band to make their own mark and find their own sound. If you like classic rock or AC/DC, expect to be blown away.
( 6.5/10 Fraggle)
https://www.facebook.com/dynamitesweden
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