Starting to hear more and more about this Norwegian band, and with all the attention on acts doing the retro '70s hard rock thing these days, that's no surprise. Not sure I'd want to title my latest album Shit City if I was hoping to get more exposure in the hard rock & metal community, but despite that, the music certainly warrants new fans to take notice. Napalm Records knows what they have on their hands with these guys, as their brand of psychedelic heavy rock, blues, and stoner metal seems a sure fire bet to please any fan of Graveyard, Witchcraft, Horisont, Zodiac, Orchid, Scorpion Child, The Graviators, or Kamchatka, as well as the classic groups of the '70s such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Cactus, Aerosmith, Leaf Hound, Humble Pie, Grand Funk Railroad, and, well, you get the picture. Their previous album Dust Devil, really set the stage for what's on display here on Shit City. "Is It Over" is a dark, brooding, bluesy doom number, with molten riffs and screaming guitar solos, while the upbeat hard rock sounds of "White Lines" just screams 1974 in every shape and form. Great vocals from Thomas Brenna soar over a wealth of slashing riffs on "I Feel Sick" that recall Nazareth at their heaviest, while the slow, doomy "Seal the Perimeter" instantly brings to mind the ominous sounds of vintage Pentagram. Groove laden heavy rock in the style of early Grand Funk can be heard on the upbeat "BFD", and "Nightjar" sees Brenna & Lukas Paulsen weave plenty of sizzling blues rock riffs & solos on this very vintage sounding tune. The extended bluesy romp "Falling Down" closes out this fine album, a wild mix of Cactus & Aerosmith with plenty of guitar firepower and addicting rhythms.
Don't expect stuff that's going to change the foundation of the modern music scene, but if you have a soft spot for any of the bands mentioned above, Lonely Kamel doesn't stray far from that formula and delivers memorable, hard rocking songs drenched in blues & psychedelia. It's a highly listenable & enjoyable heavy rock album that will certainly be getting major airplay in this household.
Track Listing
1) Shit City
2) White Lines
3) Is It Over
4) I Feel Sick
5) Seal the Perimeter
6) Freezing
7) BFD
8) Nightjar
9) Falling Down
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