By Jonny Bakes
Do you ever find that your reception to music varies depending on your mood? I certainly found that recently nothing was really tickling my pickle so I chalked it down to having a rough patch and decided that I would give this album another chance once the clouds lifted somewhat. The combination of a ridiculous band name, I mean who could not resist at least trying Big Muff 68 (you know why they call it a 68? It means you go down on me and I’ll owe you one), and the promise of pioneering a new genre called “swing metal” had built up high expectations. So, when I played it through and found myself completely underwhelmed, I decided a second chance was in order and this is the result…
Big Muff 68 was founded by two guys who met at a tailor’s shop in Vietnam and decided to return to Norway to become male models in the ‘70s-era three-piece suit industry. Shockingly, that seemed to be a tough industry to crack so they resolved to express their love for vintage suits through the creation of a new genre of music that draws from pretty much every decade of modern music, and thus ‘Swing Metal’ was born. We get the rhythm of ‘40s swing, ‘60s organs and ‘90s metal amongst others which all smooshes together to form ‘Swing Metal’.
[Actually, I hate to burst everyone’s bubble, but it’s a “supergroup” made up of members of Shining, Beaten To Death and Doedsvangr, among other Norwegian metal luminaries – Ed.]
On this second listen though I’m finding that this album contains a few catchy numbers, but it still doesn’t emphasise the swing as much as I would have wanted. Nevertheless, it does carry some healthy groove and a distinctly retro feel that is hard to draw a direct comparison too, although there are a significant number of bands you could perhaps draw influence on. I would argue that Big Muff ‘68 have ended up sounding more like a stoner rock band with a subtle hint of swing.
A couple of standout tracks that really enforce this are ‘Watch My Back’ and ‘I’m Holding On’. The former was the first track that really got me moving from the outset with the infectiously groovy riff that is accompanied by a melodic chorus (backed by a decent helping of organs). The riff itself would not be too out of place on, say, a Red Fang album which is perhaps why it caught my attention so much. And if this wasn’t enough to get your attention, this track is also one of the several that feature soulful backing vocals to add that extra flourish.
The latter includes a couple of nods to Megadeth and Metallica with ‘Symphony of Destruction’ and ‘Enter Sandman’ both making brief appearances in a slightly twisted form (with Sandman featuring Norwegian dialogue that I’m not even going to pretend I understood). These crop up at odd moments in the middle of another pretty raucous stoner-styled riff, although this one is accompanied by a swinging rhythm from the drums making it even catcher.
So, all in all, I’m glad I gave ‘Swing Metal’ a second chance as it did surpass my initial opinion and became quite a pleasant listen, although it still did not blow my mind. It’s a pretty fun album though that may translate better into a live show, which I guess only time will tell, so it’s still worth checking out. If you find yourself hunting for groove in all of the music that you listen to, then Big Muff ‘68 could be what you’re looking for. Potentially there is something here for fans of the likes of Clutch or Red Fang and other such blues influenced stoner rock/metal. But for me, this is still a bit of a swing and a miss as, although it was pleasant enough, ‘Swing Metal’ is not something that will see me clamouring for more.
- ‘Swing Metal’ is released tomorrow (Friday 20 May). You can get your copy HERE.
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