Release Date 26.01.18
Ammunition are something of a supergroup among the thriving Scandinavian melodic rock scene, with their members having pedigree with various bands, notably main songwriters Age Sten Nielsen, former singer with WigWam who were early standard bearers for the 21st century revival of Scandi rock, and the seemingly ubiquitous Eclipse main man Erik Martensson, forming a guitar partnership with Jan Pettersen.
Three years after an album ‘Shanghai’ed’ and well received appearances at festivals like Vasby and Rockingham, they are back with, slightly oddly, a self-titled effort.
The fare on offer is less heavy than Eclipse but relentlessly uptempo and above all fun, in the mould of WigWam. The sound is big and layered, with strong if distinctly heavily accented vocals.
Opener ‘Time’ may not quite live up to its ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ intro but has an Aerosmith or G’n'R sassiness to it, while ‘Freedom Finder’ marries a groove that calls to mind Billy Squier’s ‘The Stroke’ to a strong chorus.
The slower paced ‘Eye for an Eye’ is perhaps the most Eclipse-influenced number with its celtic feel and ‘Miss Summertime’ had a gentler tempo.
However the bulk of the album notably ‘Caveman’, ‘Wrecking Crew’- a Eurovision contender, no less- and ‘Bad Bones’ combine lightweight themes with big choruses. The overriding comparison for me was Alice Cooper in his most commercial ‘Trash’ and ‘Hey Stoopid’ era phase.
The eleven songs whizz by, many only just topping the three minute mark with a concise punchiness that in places resembles one of last year’s best releases, Tokyo Motor Fist.
A couple of songs though worked less well for me – ‘Tear Your City Down’ is an anthem that does not live up to its promise while closer ‘Klondike’ felt slightly disjointed- but overall this is an album of loud, brash and fun anthems designed to create a party mood.
****
Review by Andy Nathan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 28 October 2024
IZZY REIGN Spooky Scary Skeletons (FiXT)
THE RASMUS Rest In Pieces (Better Noise Music)
THE PLAGUE What Else Can I Do (FiXT)
STAR CIRCUS Turn The Tide (indie)
DEFENCES Breathe It In (Long Branch Records)
Featured Albums w/c 28 October 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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