Album review : SMOKING SNAKES – Danger Zone

Frontiers [Release date : 16.02.24]

Swedish band, Smoking Snakes, release their debut album, Danger Zone this month.

The banal band name and cliched album title will surely raise a wry smile on the face of even the most ardent genre fan.

Maybe that’s the point. Like Spinal Tap or Steel Panther.

Or maybe they’re Sabaton fans? No, that can’t be it.

Maybe it’s just an honest, unambiguous homage to the days of Sleaze/ Bandana/ Glam (take your pick) Rock.
If so, they mine a singularly narrow vein, one that’s largely been depleted by the likes of WASP, Twisted Sister, Quiet Riot and so on.

Opener, ‘Angels Calling’ confirms your worst fears. Then ‘Sole Survivors’ (seriously?) takes a huge bite out of 80’s Sunset Strip Glam Rock, spitting out an anthemic, all join in, hands in the air etc etc chorus. Sounds like fun.

In fairness that track (previously released in single form) is also notable for its axework. It bites, it stings. It’s most noticeable when tracks like the Accept-lite ‘Run For Your Life’ or ‘Restless Wild’ begin to sag a little, cue axeman Leo Razer (not his real name, I’m told) elbowing his way up to the front, and launching another flamethrower solo into the night sky.

In the lexicon of hard rock, the word ‘subtlety’ is shunned like a soft rock pariah. And ok, it might be a stretch to describe ‘Lady Luck’ as subtle. But in its own way, it rises above the cliches (despite the title) of the genre, with some pithy, perfectly metered lyrics pushed along at a pacey tempo. Album standout.

‘Sorrow, Death and Pain’ and ‘There Is No Tomorrow’ are seemingly cut from the same swath as your archetypal heavy metal anthem. Doesn’t make them bad people of course, and indeed with the choruses rented from Gang-Vocals-To-Go, you detect a nod of the head and a doff of the hat to a genre that peaked in the previous decade. Respect. ***

Review by Brian McGowan

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)