It's been five years since Swedish retro rockers Troubled Horse released their debut Step Inside, but they are back, better than ever, with an even more impressive platter of '70s styled hard rock & doomy goodness in the form of their sophomore Rise Above album Revolution on Repeat. With a revamped line-up in tow that sees new members Jonas (drums) and Tom (bass) joining up with vocalist Martin and guitarist Mikael, the band have put together ten kick ass songs that blend blues rock, psychedelia, doom, and good old fashioned heavy rock.
If it's the thunder that you are looking for, the band provides that in spades on riff heavy blasters like "The Haunted", "Hurricane", and "Which Way to the Mob", while "Peasants" has more of a Rolling Stones type of classic rock feel, complete with honky tonk piano and plenty of groove. Visions of vintage Pentagram pop up on "Track 7", a driving, doom laden rocker featuring some sizzling guitar work courtesy of Mikael. In fact, so many songs on Revolution on Repeat feature some sensational guitar layering that will instantly remind of early period Wishbone Ash, especially on "The Filthy Ones" and the energetic "Let Bastards Know". The riffs, the leads...all fantastic, and all well thought out. Lead singer Martin is once again at the top of his game here, and he's quickly becoming one of the must hear vocalists on the Swedish heavy rock scene. Though he can wail with the best of them, his more tender passages are just as impressive, which you can experience on the dramatic "Bleeding" as well as the melancholy "Desperation".
In the end, Revolution on Repeat is essentially a killer hard rock record, a noticeable improvement over the bands very solid debut, and shows Troubled Horse ready to play with the big boys like Witchcraft, Horisont, Graveyard, Rival Sons, and the like. Highly recommended!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01. Hurricane
02. The Filthy ones
03. Which Way To The Mob
04. Peasants
05. The Haunted
06. Desperation
07. Track 7
08. My shit's fucked up
09. Let Bastards Know
10. Bleeding