The debut album of the Danish band SUPERCHARGER has already been reviewed at ramtatta.de (http://www.ramtatta.de/reviews,id-844,go-supercharger+_+handgrenade+blues.html)
That was in March 2010. Barely a year later, they are back with more, this time in the form of an album. The Danes are setting a pace that makes me doubt. Albums that come out so quickly in succession are usually not that great. They are often hastily thrown together works that are meant to capitalize on success and bring in money.
Let’s see what the band from Copenhagen has to offer.
The first two songs come in refreshing kick-ass rock with a clear hard rock attitude that gets the butt moving and shows where the Danes stand. Pretty much right where other kick-ass bands are. With “Heart on overdrive” and “Rise and Fall,” they start off strong.
The third song then takes the tempo down and is a pure… well, I would almost say metal ballad. Perfect for radio. Perfect for stadiums. The masses like it, and perhaps that’s the point, as the band has aimed to excite the masses since the beginning of their career. As winners of the Danish Metal Awards, they make the corresponding sound, although I wouldn’t primarily classify SUPERCHARGER as a metal band.
By now, we’re at song number four, which brings the rock back. Hearty, rocking, and catchy. This is fun again.
With the fifth song “Mrs. Ferguson,” we get a nice rock song that swings between ballad and mid-tempo rock. I can also imagine this song as film music. For a film set in the Midwest of the USA, this song would be perfect.
Then the next song goes in a slightly different direction. “That’s how I roll” reminds me of the melodies and arrangements of the great Finns from I Walk The Line. I also really like this song.
Song number 7 features female co-vocals and is again super radio-friendly. The sweaty leather jacket is swapped for a nearly serious outfit. You can definitely hear some light country rock and pop influences in this song.
Overall, the 12 songs on this album are very diverse and extremely well produced. You can tell that there was money behind it when the band recorded in the studio. And that’s also a bit of the problem with the album. Each song on its own is decent, but as a whole, “That’s how we roll” gives the impression of a rocky mixed bag. They want to please everyone a little bit. This does not benefit the album or the authenticity of the band. A clear direction would be advantageous here.
Nevertheless, “That’s how we roll” is a big step forward for the band, and if you simply forget about the mass appeal of the album, then this is a great album that rocks and rolls nicely. Hell Yeah!
