By DJ Monk
I’m fascinated by the etymology of band names: always have been and always probably will remain so… after all, a band’s chosen moniker can say a lot about them and help plot their chosen career course. I mean, would Led Zeppelin have made such an impact if they had remained The New Yardbirds? Or would Messrs Butler, Iommi, Osbourne and Ward gone on to change the shape of modern metal as the Polka Tulk Blues Band? Extremely doubtful… but, I digress… It was this very interest in the origins of names that led me to discover that this particular Swedish hard rock crüe take theirs from a certain signature guitar by one Richie Sambora… a massive clue as to what to expect between its grooves? Well, not quite…
Well, in it a way it is, as ‘Perennials’, the band’s second studio offering, is very much a classic rock album in the traditional mien, with big beefy riffs, massive melodies and catchy as fuck choruses, all coupled with a musical sensibility that echoes the collective experience of this group of some of Sweden’s finest studio and touring session musicians, who were first brought together by singer/songwriter Stefan Blomqvist and the late Mats Lindfors (a producer best known for his work with the likes of Talisman, Scorpions, H.E.A.T and Candlemass) back in 2014. Their first album, ‘Late Bloomer’ passed me by on its release in early 2017, so I can only pass judgement on this second offering in isolation…
Opener ‘I Want Your Soul’ kicks in with a classic hard rock groove that lies somewhere ‘twixt Mk III Purple, Turner-era Rainbow, pre-1987 Whitesnake and Gillan/Martin-era Sabbath, as it uncoils from your speakers and wraps itself around your aural cortex with its punchy riff and hypnotic vocal performance from Blomqvist. Unfortunately, things go downhill quite quickly as, apart from the aforesaid vocals, ‘Day By Day’ is quite bland and forgettable and stinks of filler material. The power ballad ‘Sometimes’ goes some way to restoring the balance, thanks in large part to the counterbalance between the laconic piano mien and Blomqvist’s passionate vocal, which really does help to lift the song above the level of blandness into which the album so quickly had threatened to lower itself.
As if to emphasize that the second track was just a lapse in concentration, a blip on their musical radar, ‘Mother’ pumps and booms, punchy but not punch-drunk, with a powerful hook and a well-judged solo which doesn’t outstay its initial welcome but instead refrains itself throughout the song.
The rest of the album works an effective duopoly of ballads and hard rockers, which counterpoint each other in a way which gives the album a natural flow, neither one nor the other dominating particular sections of the album, but instead working together in a way which demonstrates the thoughtfulness which has gone into almost every aspect of the album, from the crafting of the songs through the accuracy of the musical performances to the pinpoint production.
Overall, ‘Perennials’ is further proof that our Scandinavian brethren have a well-tuned ear for a catchy song or three, and the ability to deliver same with confidence and aplomb. No, it doesn’t kick down any doors or break any particularly significant new ground, but it is a competent and highly listenable offering which deserves the attention of readers into that difficult-to-occupy middle ground between classic hard rock and melodic AOR.
- ‘Perennials’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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