Razorbats “Hit Crazy”

Two years after their catchy album “Mainline Rock’n’Roll”, Norway’s RAZORBATS are back with more classic rock riffs and 80s choruses as you can hear in opener “(Maybe It’s Time To) Break Up The Band” followed by “Only In America” that starts like a DOKKEN song. “Atomic” is not the BLONDIE song although it definitely has an 80s new wave flavour and “Love Is For Suckers” is not a TWISTED SISTER cover but you will sure be able to headbang to it. You’ll also get a bit of 00s Scandinavian punk’n’roll in Shotgun Wedding” and it’s not very surprising to hear a typical power ballad on this album with “Edie.” The thing with Scandinavian bands is that they often have an ABBA influence rooted in them whatever they do and I’m not saying it as a bad thing since ABBA are pop geniuses and it really works on “Scandinavian Girls.” Yes, RAZORBATS are really good when it comes to pop hooks, just listen to “Damn, She Looks Good” or “Kiss Me”! This record ends with “Seventeen”, a ballad about the reasons why they have chosen to live the rock’n’roll dream. Seems like they were right about it! /Laurent C.

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https://www.razorbats.com/

The Hallingtons “Hop Til’ You Drop”

After releasing their EP “Hexed” 3 years ago and a few other EPs and digital releases before, The HALLINGTONS from Norway are back with a full LP on Monster Zero Records. The RAMONES influence is still very strong and these new songs have quite a few catchy choruses (“Not Coming Back To You”, “Business Boy”, “Slaughterhouse”, “Spinning Me Around”, “My My My Mexico”) The sunny pop punk side of the band shows more in songs like “Your Boy”, “Becky’s On E” or “Alien Girl” and you’ll get a good dose of old-school punk rock riffs in this album (“Go Godzilla”, “Figures You Out”.) The album closes with “Hallington Hop”, a song that must be the band’s anthem. Quite a fun summer punk rockin’ album!/Laurent.

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Trashcan Darlings – Me Punk, You Fuck! (Some Of The Award Winning Hits From The World’s Greatest Band Ever)

14 years after their last show, the glamour ghosts of The TRASHCAN DARLINGS are back on vinyl with this 14 song compilation. Despite being Norway’s undisputable kings and queens of glam punk, these flamboyant DARLINGS achieved a cult status in the international sleazy gutter rock scene. You’ll hear some of their best tracks on this record including classics from their “Gore Gore Boys & Splatter Pussies” EP like “I Just Wanna Die (On a Chemical High)”, “(She’s a) Fuck Around” or “Angel Lost”. I presonally can’t count the million times I had these songs on my mind through the years! If you’re a punk rocker then you won’t be able to stay away from “Johnny Is A Drag-queen”, “Psychotic Barbie” or “Me Punk, You Fuck !” If you like more melody then songs like “Please Darling Please” or the heartbroken “Depressed” and “Far From Me” are the ones for you. And again, how could you resist songs like “Rocket Madonna” or “So Whore”?…. Or the mega fantastic “Holiday In My Head”, one of my all-time favourite glam punk songs!
I still have the photo version of this album cover as a poster and I still wear my very old TRASHCAN DARLINGS shirt so you can imagine that I could easily have filled a second compilation vinyl but I have to admit that the tracklist on here is excellent! “All The Stories We Could Tell” is the perfect tune to put an end to this record. The songs have been remastered and this record is out on Last Exit Music from Germany. Whether you knew the band or not, you will love this vinyl record if you’re used to reading our website! Time to glam it up! /Laurent C.

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Razorbats “Mainline Rock’n’Roll”

Three years after their album “II”, Norway’s party rockers RAZORBATS offer us 10 brand new songs. Although the opening song is named “Rock’n’Roll Kills”, the band sounds alive and well delivering some fine poppy rock’n’roll with a DARKNESS kind of guitar riff. The vocals and arrangements bring the 00s pop punk scene to mind when you listen to “Working For The Weekend” but “Rebel Soul” and “Big Time” have American power pop roots and “Little Ms. Crazy” sounds like a good old classic rock ballad, not in a cheesy MTV way but more in a D.A.D. vein… On the other hand, if you like your ballads cheesier, then you’ll have to listen to “Venice.” The 80s hard rock influences can also be heard in “The City”, “Nightcrawlers” or in “White Trash Radio” and we get to think of MARVELOUS 3 while listening to “Cocaine Karma.” They say that this new album is a tribute to the rocker lifestyle and we believe them! Just fun rock songs that will sound perfect with the first Spring sunbeams. /Laurent C.

http://www.razorbats.com
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Lazy X releases “Shame On You”

From Oslo Norway, Lazy X was raised on real rock’n roll like Led Zeppelin, Guns n Roses and Aerosmith. He was the lead guitarist in Suicide Bombers from 2011-2017 and released his first album as Lazy X on the sixth of December 2017.

I wrote this song cause i’ve been observing what the media is putting out regarding the Coronavirus. They scare people, they make people frightened. All of this just to make money to sell their stories. Why are we accepting all this. Why are we accepting and believing on all those experts telling us “the truth”

All of a sudden there were experts everywhere that have all the answers. It’s a crazy world but we know better, everyone feel unified in the feeling that everything is going to be alright. Stay safe, stay together.

Shame on you media!

Music is my genuine path in life. It is the best way for me to give of myself to this world.

I sacrifice for it in a way that I do for nothing else.

It’s dirty, decadent, glamorous, delicious and beautiful. Its raw, unpolished, uncontrollable and mysterious. Get ready to get catapulted in to a musical landscape of weird tones.

Barreling out of the past into the future.

Dare to dream, dare to do, dare to be different, dare to dare.”

https://www.instagram.com/lazyxmusic/

Suicide Bombers “Murder Couture”

Opening with an epic introduction of the band, this fourth album of Norway’s SUICIDE BOMBERS looks as good as the previous ones, kind of ZODIAC MINDWARP meets SIGUE SIGUE SPUTNIK aesthetic including glossy and colourful pictures of the band dressed in Murder Couture…Then, the song “Murder Couture” offers us some anthemic heavy rock followed by the catchy “Kings & Queens” and its”Oh-Oh, Oh-Oh-Oh-O” chorus! The first single of the album, “So Bad” is a sleazy rock song with STEVE STEVENS guitar riffs, but the 80s glam metal influences can mostly be heard in “Love Disasters” and in “End Of The Story.” It sometimes gets a bit heavier with “Night That Never Ends”, “World Without End” (imagine a dirtier DOKKEN flirting with ROXX GANG and W.A.S.P.!), “Sleepless Elite” or “We Don’t Negotiate With Terrorists” in which you’ll hear a DTK LAMF reference. “Madman” ends this album with raw energy and leave you wanting for more.
While hard rock/sleaze metal are far from being popular music styles nowadays, SUICIDE BOMBERS keep getting stronger and strronger, and this is a very good thing. /Laurent C.

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The Hallingtons “Hexed” EP

Norway might be famous for TURBONEGRO and black metal, but The HALLINGTONS are more influenced by American bands, especially the RAMONES (“Not My Deal”) and pop punk (listen to the chorus in “Jesus Freak” or the song “Pretty Neat” that reminds me a bit of The GROOVIE GHOULIES.) There’s more vocal harmonies in “The Witch” but “She’s On Repeat” keeps it all fun and simple.
6 fast poppy teenage punk songs the way it has to be done, and you probably won’t be surprised to hear that this EP is released by Monster Zero records. /Laurent C.

Hallingtons, The – Hexed EP

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