Hailing from Norway, the Oslo based, four piece hard rockers Lonely Kamel take inspiration from doom, psychadellica, stoner rock, classic rock and the blues and mash it together for their fourth full length offering, “Shit City”. With a sound which is a huge nod to all things retro-sounding and groove laden, the Lonely Kamel boys bring us nine tracks of the best all the genre’s they touch upon and sound like whilst keeping it simple and straightforward.
“Shit City”, the title track opens up the album with a fast paced 70’s rock styled number. The quick groove, tricky lead fills and driving feel will get you hooked instantly. The vocals have a slight rawness about them in a kind of watered down AC/DC like way and the track has plenty of attitude to match. With small solo’s, simple riffs and fills littering the track it slows down slightly in the middle and eases between picking up the pace and slowing down for the rest of the track before it fades out. “White Lines” starts off with a big stoner rock groove feel. The pounding rhythm section keeps the track locked in whilst the guitars compliment the feel and the lead work dances in and out of the track with plenty of flair. The solo section towards the end of the track gives it that classic rock edge over the distinct stoner groove underneath it and the vocals sound quite raw and bring a different attitude compared to the previous track. “Is It Over” has that distinct blues sound to it with the heavily reverbed lead work and shuffling feel to it, like an up-tempo Led Zeppelin blues number. The vocal and lead guitar harmonies are a nice touch whilst the dirty sounding rhythm work gives the track quite a bit of a kick, especially in the bass-heavy break section. The song kicks it up a gear after the break with a lead section before the thick wall of groove returns to bring the song home.
“I Feel Sick” starts off with some tricky lead sections and a full on up tempo feel to it. The thunderous bass and rhythm guitars thicken the song up as a contrast to the piercing lead sounds and the drums keep it all locked in tightly. Kind of like a heavier, sleazier Audrey Horne. The song goes into a few big sounding riff moments in the middle and the vocals come across cleaner but with that power and attitude behind them. This continues towards the end of the track with some furious soloing which dances all over the simple stop-start big rhythm sounds before the up tempo “Seal the perimeter” follows. It’s got all the power of a Doom track behind it with some big vocal moments. The faster paced doomy styled number has a steady groove to which the massive sounding bass provides and it also has some tasty blues styled leads to bring a bit of variety. “Freezing” has a trippy sounding guitar intro with some clean vocals starting it off before the rest of the band joins in. The steady bass, intensity building drums and guitar fills which help build the mood bring the song to life. The steady, almost droning rhythm with the slightly tribal drumming at times has a hypnotic quality to it and the vocals give it some character. This is a track which would go down brilliantly in a live setting. As it eases off the trippy feeling for the chorus section, it kicks it back in again for the verses and in the solo, it hits full stomping groove. The solo cuts through the thick sound like the vocals do, distracting you from what to focus on, the lead or the groove.
“BFD” (Big Fat Dolly) has that classic rock feel to it again with some guitar showboating in the intro gives way to some tricky sounding riffs. The drums and bass join in and add to the song, building it up as everything starts to get faster but still stay reigned in, keeping you guessing whether the song will eventually explode or not. Keeping with the teasing, the lead section dances in and out of the groove, but despite all the teasing, the disappointing part is the song never explodes into life. “Nightjar” however doesn’t let us down. Starting out with a descending lead run, the full on groove kicks right in with the same kind of kick UFO were known for. The simple approach with the rhythm works brilliantly and trying to resist the urge to move to it is quite a feat if you can pull it off. Halfway through the song, it trails off and switches to a more dramatic feel for a few bars until it suddenly shifts back into the stomping groove it started out with before a terrific bluesy styled solo brings the song home.
“Falling down” closes the album. It starts off with some lead work before going into another classic rock-blues styled groove. The vocals have that sneering attitude about them and the band keep it simple, kicking it in for the chorus moments with a thicker sound. Near the middle of the song is a great solo section with some nice harmonies and plenty of blues sounding moments where the two guitars feed off each other and play contrasting parts over the steady rhythm to keep it interesting. Some trippy vocal effects come in for the final parts of the song as it eases off before it kicks back in again for the final choruses as everything comes together to close the album off.
“Shit City” is anything but shit. It’s a great retro sounding album full of grooves, attitude and full on rock moments. Fans of the Norwegian hard rock scene – this is an essential release for 2014!
(8/10 Fraggle)
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