Confess
Burn ‘em All
Street Symphonies Records / Burning Minds Music Group
2020
Well these Swedes quite impressed me a few years back with their sophomore effort, “Haunters” and now, some three years later, they return with strike number three.
Think the Euphoria that early Crashdiet and Reckless Love albums, caused ya, along with bits of Kix, Motley, Vain and early Guns, LA or otherwise. This is born and bred from the same DNA, owing a bit more to its European than American ancestry but still…
As soon as “So What?” begins, with its nasty cascading riff and vitriolic vocals, you stop to give a #$%^ and start banging your head.
“Malleus” tries to be a little more playful and melodic, but comes across a little pretentious and silly, not to the point, where you’d dismiss it, as pure shite, but it’s decidedly a bit of a misfire, sounding like the best song that wannabe bands will never manage to coalesce, but that’s not really singing its praises.
“Welcome Insanity” is another attempt at doing a more earthly tempo, melodic tune and it’s manages to get that early Mot & Vain mood down perfectly without any particular effort.
“A Beautiful Mind” begins with the sound of tolling bells, crows and the rain falling, presumably at a cemetery? It soon goes into a meat-grinding, heavy as f@ck riff and nasty, edgy lyrics and vocals. It almost has a chorus that works, but it marginally fails to register permanently, as its harmonies come in a little too late. Well, at least the short but sweet solo, makes up a bit for all that.
“Heresy” is another song that exist on the threshold between mediocrity and greatness, one foot on each side, but never both in the same, for too long… fair is fair, though, it’s okay.
“Burn ‘em All” loans it’s title to the album and without being some over the top cool tune, is a thumbing – hard hitting number that is just the change of pace that the album needs, giving it a jolt of energy, just as it’s about to run out of juice.
“Is It Love” is not a ballad, but probably one of the more melodic tunes on the album; think a Ratt-y band, doing Whitesnake. It’s good, but with a little more bite, than the highly polished Brit leviathans of heart-break. It’s good shit though, with some well-placed keys in there working a treat as they lead the track off.
“My Vicious Way” by title alone, should have you expecting something more salacious and it delivers… the sleaze metal vibes are back in full force, but the chorus is drenched in reverb, has echo a plenty and even a little harmony – to give it all a little douse of more melody, which works a treat here.
“509” is a balls to the wall, pedal to the metal, punkish sleazathon, reminiscent of “Rest in Sleaze” era diet. It’s not “that” catchy, but it’s got the same ethos and attitude, so its excitement can’t help but be somewhat contagious.
“Prominence” had me thinking Black N’ Blue with bits n pieces of Danger Danger and everything in between… well that’s not too bad, is it?!
“One for the Road” closes the album, in a celebratory fashion… it’s kinda cheesy and power metal-like in the chorus part, with its anthemic singalong dorkiness… but it hardly manages to mar the overall good image of the album and why should it… it’s a little silly, sure, but not bad.
Overall, Confess deliver a somewhat more varied third album that doesn’t have the immediacy of “Haunters”, but at the same time makes up for it, with other newfound charms. Coolio then!
Think the Euphoria that early Crashdiet and Reckless Love albums, caused ya, along with bits of Kix, Motley, Vain and early Guns, LA or otherwise. This is born and bred from the same DNA, owing a bit more to its European than American ancestry but still…
As soon as “So What?” begins, with its nasty cascading riff and vitriolic vocals, you stop to give a #$%^ and start banging your head.
“Malleus” tries to be a little more playful and melodic, but comes across a little pretentious and silly, not to the point, where you’d dismiss it, as pure shite, but it’s decidedly a bit of a misfire, sounding like the best song that wannabe bands will never manage to coalesce, but that’s not really singing its praises.
“Welcome Insanity” is another attempt at doing a more earthly tempo, melodic tune and it’s manages to get that early Mot & Vain mood down perfectly without any particular effort.
“A Beautiful Mind” begins with the sound of tolling bells, crows and the rain falling, presumably at a cemetery? It soon goes into a meat-grinding, heavy as f@ck riff and nasty, edgy lyrics and vocals. It almost has a chorus that works, but it marginally fails to register permanently, as its harmonies come in a little too late. Well, at least the short but sweet solo, makes up a bit for all that.
“Heresy” is another song that exist on the threshold between mediocrity and greatness, one foot on each side, but never both in the same, for too long… fair is fair, though, it’s okay.
“Burn ‘em All” loans it’s title to the album and without being some over the top cool tune, is a thumbing – hard hitting number that is just the change of pace that the album needs, giving it a jolt of energy, just as it’s about to run out of juice.
“Is It Love” is not a ballad, but probably one of the more melodic tunes on the album; think a Ratt-y band, doing Whitesnake. It’s good, but with a little more bite, than the highly polished Brit leviathans of heart-break. It’s good shit though, with some well-placed keys in there working a treat as they lead the track off.
“My Vicious Way” by title alone, should have you expecting something more salacious and it delivers… the sleaze metal vibes are back in full force, but the chorus is drenched in reverb, has echo a plenty and even a little harmony – to give it all a little douse of more melody, which works a treat here.
“509” is a balls to the wall, pedal to the metal, punkish sleazathon, reminiscent of “Rest in Sleaze” era diet. It’s not “that” catchy, but it’s got the same ethos and attitude, so its excitement can’t help but be somewhat contagious.
“Prominence” had me thinking Black N’ Blue with bits n pieces of Danger Danger and everything in between… well that’s not too bad, is it?!
“One for the Road” closes the album, in a celebratory fashion… it’s kinda cheesy and power metal-like in the chorus part, with its anthemic singalong dorkiness… but it hardly manages to mar the overall good image of the album and why should it… it’s a little silly, sure, but not bad.
Overall, Confess deliver a somewhat more varied third album that doesn’t have the immediacy of “Haunters”, but at the same time makes up for it, with other newfound charms. Coolio then!