Formed in 2005, this band has on thing in mind, to rock ‘n’ roll, and it sure is all dirty rock and roll in the energy stakes of fellow Swede Michael Monroe’s debut solo outing (‘Not Fakin’ It’) playing doctors and nurses with the bluesy rock and roll associated with The Quireboys locking horns with ‘Flesh and Blood’ era Poison. The raw energy that this album produces gives a near flashpoint experience like the first time you heard ‘Appetite for Destruction’. Whilst the songs don’t have as much of an impact as that album did (even if ‘Animal’ has a ‘Mr Brownstone’ tone to the vocal delivery), ‘Bad Habit Romance’ is gritty and down to earth in the same manner.
Whilst I listen to this album, I am really racking my brains for sound a likes. It’s nothing new in this field of music, but it is very much high energy and clichéd in some arts to the core. Vocal melodies of the opening tune ‘Bitter Cocktail’ brings some class, whilst the tongue in cheek licks coming from Joel Eliasson’s guitar accompany a smooth running machine in the backline. ‘Let a Memory Die’ brings out the harmonica and some who-ho’s in the tune, as expected and welcomed. In the recent heat wave, this has been a great album to play in the car and around the home. Ever so applicable are the Honky-tonk piano infused “lets get it one type” lyrics that are on ‘I’m A Vibe’. I do chuckle to myself, but I cannot help but love this you know! Good times are here again, grab the whiskey, it’s time for ‘Don’t Drag Me Down’, piano and harmonica overload with a simple beat and a blues ridden guitar solo, the approach of laid back lyrics could make you go on all night listening. Oscar Kaleva’s vocals do sound like Bret Michaels on this tune, but that’s until the speedier number ‘I’ll Get Rich’ starts where there are Axl-isms performed too.
This is an album full of highs and zero lows, not one track could be considered filler, and High-octane rock ‘n’ roll to the max. Sweden has done it again; the 80’s are back again, and once again it’s a Scandinavian band doing the talking. It’s no wonder this album has been #1 on the Swedish Hard Rock chart and was #5 on the Swedish album chart. This band could pack out a club show and to my mind would quite happily fill the arena rock spectrum. It is perfect rock ‘n’ roll and a speeding ticket waiting to happen!
http://www.myspace.com/innocentrosie
http://www.swedmetal.se
