Addictive tunes, juicy riffs and captivating hooks: these are the promised features of this so-called “action rock” from Sweden. Add to this the corny, self-effacing name, and you’ve got this long-standing band’s eighth album.
I never know how these “old” bands, in this case dating back to 1994, manage to keep their music fresh, but the opener “Reap a Hurricane” suggests they have done just that. It’s Americanised hard rock so let’s not look for some dirty twist. It all reminds me of bands like the Free and a multitude of long-haired commercially oriented rock bands, but it’s tight and hooky as advertised. “Can It Wait” was a replica of “Reap a Hurricane” and too short to have an impact. More interesting to my ears was the bluesy “So Sorry I Could Die”, and its smoky atmosphere. As a guide, I saw that one of the band members described the album as the Beatles meeting Judas Priest or Lynyrd Skynyrd meeting the Ramones. The riff of the title song had “Sultans of Swing” written all over it. Leaving aside all these comparisons, they are belting good songs and “Eyes of Oblivion” was one of my favourites. Following it was “A Plow and a Doctor”, an uncomplicated piece of rock n roll. The drum line starting “Positively Not Knowing” has an air of the Sweet’s “Blockbuster” but the song itself is pure Americanised guitar-laced rock. “Tin Foil Soldier” was a bit dull, and I much preferred the rock-punky feel of “Beguiled”. I felt a sense of fun as I listened to it. Among the commercial choruses, guitar rhythms and solos is heart and soul. I certainly felt this on the rocky “The Pressure’s On”. The album ends with “Try Me Tonight”. It is strongly reminiscent of a hard Beatles song, but as ever it’s tightly delivered and another piece of addictive (to use their word) rock n roll.
Without question this is a band who can give pleasure and provide entertainment with their punchy songs, and I take my hat off to them for not only doing that but for doing it for so long. Here on “Eyes of Oblivion” are ten breezy songs with rock attitude.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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