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Smash Into
Pieces
The Apocalypse DJ
VIKTOR “WIRRE” VIDLUND
/ BASS
BENJAMIN “BANJO” JENNEBO
/ GUITAR
CHRIS ADAM HEDMAN SÖRBYE / LEAD VOCALS
PER BERGQUIST / GUITAR | VOCALS
ISAK SNOW / DRUMS
Let’s head over to Europe
for this next release we are looking at. There is a five piece band out of Örebro,
Sweden that has been doing the dance for about 6 years. The band began as they
hit the stage on “Sweden’s Got Talent” in 2009, but dropped out to sign a
record deal. The band and the label went their separate ways early in 2010 and
went on to release a self titled five track EP. During 2010 through 2012 the
band went through a lot as an unsigned band and finally signed another deal
with Gain / Sony Music. They released their debut album in 2013 titled “Unbreakable.”
After sharing the stage with bands like Alter Bridge and Halestorm the guys are
back with their new album “The Apocalypse DJ.” The album gets going with “Stronger.”
It’s a nice
little number. The vibe is killer and it’s so easy to get into. It makes you
want to listen to the rest of the album to see what’s next. The guitars are
fabulous and the vocals are easy to follow along with. It was the right choice
to open up the release. The guitar solo is one that you can bust out the air
guitar for and the lyrics can be screamed right along with the lead vocals. It
has everything you want in a rock track. “My Cocaine” has a nice even pace to it.
They add in some backing vocals and even some guest vocals. The vocals matched
up to one another sound great. The music is solid and provides a great vibe for
the tune. It’s something that you can really get into and I repeated it several
times even on the first time through. There are a few stops were the male
vocals tried to hit a high note and I just don’t think it was very good. Other
than that it’s a nice little number. “Disaster Highway” opens with a kickass
guitar. It rips of a nice riff before the vocals come in and take over. Those
vocals are bad ass while they give up a clear set of lyrics. This track is easy
to get into and sing right along with. It rolls so well and even lets those
opening guitars step back into the spotlight a time or two more. I really like
this track. It’s something that you can just jam to no matter where you are. I
can see this track gaining some traction. “Checkmate” takes a few seconds
before you hear anything happening. You almost think that it stopped playing.
When it does start it is a low key tune. The vocals almost remind me of an
Alter Bridge feel while the tunes just simply go right along with the vocals’
vibe. It’s a nice little number that floats through your ears like the clouds
on a nice spring afternoon. Although I think that the
track isn’t bad in the least, I do feel that it
just doesn’t
hit it out of the park and might just get lost in the shuffle. “Don’t Wake Me Up”
has a short little intro that gets the juices flowing a bit. The vocals then
enter with a nice sound for the most part. They do try and hit some notes that
they really don’t hit very well. Those notes might turn you off of this one,
but if you can get past them the track isn’t half bad. It has a few bright
spots in there and they toss out a different vocal style as well. The guitars are
kick ass and have a huge solo that will have you wanting more. “Another Day On
The Battlefield” opens up with a nice intro that gets you excited for the rest
of the tune. It does hit a low spot right when the vocals enter as the music
takes a step back, but during the chorus they come back strong and really
deliver a nice effort. It rolls along with extra little things here and there
while the main attractions are flying around. It’s a really strong offering. “Reaching
Out” is a low key track that might be able to stand on its own feet. The chorus
is really strong as they kick it into gear while the verses are okay sounding. The
track as a whole stands out a little bit. They vibe is decent while the vocals
are strong. The guitar solo is good and the transitions are smooth. I just
think it might get lost with some of the others on the record. “Color
Of Your Eyes” is a solid number with easy going vocals and a sweeping sound.
This one again feels like Alter Bridge to me as everything comes together in
just the perfect way. The vocals are clean and clear. They offer up the lyrics
in a great way and you can sing right along with them. The music seems pretty
simple and strolls along hitting note by note. There are a few notes that the
vocals try to hit that don’t quite reach. “Bullets” continues the strong effort
with another solid tune. I really like the vocals in this track and the lyrics
are phenomenal once you dive head first into them. The guitar solo is amazing
(which is one reason to listen to this track over and over again). It’s
something to take time to really listen to. “Burn” goes to the hard side of
things. They toss in some growling vocals and the lyrics are a bit darker than
some of the others on the record. The music is killer as the drums rip through
several places and the guitars fly high. It overall vibe of the track is
killer, but I don’t know who some people will grab a hold of the content. It
really does the trick though and keeps you around for the closing track. The
guitars are killer during the solo section and the transition back to the
vocals perfectly. It’s a nice change of pace and the more I listen to it the
more I like it. “Rock N Roll” wraps up the album with a nice solid beat and the
vocals are clean as well. The second longest tune on the album is one that you
can really get into. I love the beat and would like to hear this one live. It
hammers on the drums and the guitars get to fly just a bit. The transitions are
crisp and the lyrics are ones that you can sing right along with. It’s a great
tune. Overall this record is solid. I think the vocals and the lyrics are well
written for most of the record. The tunes are top notch and they let them open
their wings and fly. Solo wise they go to great places during many of the
tracks. The guys have a nice vibe going; however there are spots that are the
best sounding. The vocals stretch to heights that they struggle to hit a note
or two with that right pitch. They add in some extra things from time to time
as well. I have a feeling that we will be seeing and hearing more from these
guys soon.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Tracks to Watch:
Stronger, Burn, Rock N Roll
Track
List:
- Stronger
- My Cocaine
- Disaster Highway
- Checkmate
- Don’t Wake Me Up
- Another Day On The
Battlefield
- Reaching Out
- Color Of Your Eyes
- Bullets
- Burn
- Rock N Roll
Website (s): www.smashintopieces.com
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