DYNAZTY - review added 10th November 2009
Album Review: Bring The Thunder (2009)
For fans of: Hard Rock... and Robbie Harnell/Tony Williams
It has to be said; Swedish rockers Dynazty are a breath of fresh air. They play an upbeat fun heavy rock 'n' roll with boundless energy that comes across like a suspicious chemical concoction of adrenaline and testosterone.
Bring The Thunder was produced by Chris Laney (Zan Clan, Animal) who himself released a well-regarded solo album earlier this year. Completing the line-up is George Egg on drums, Nils Molin on vocals, John Berg and Rob Love on guitars, and Joey Fox on bass. Since recording the album John Berg has left the band.
The sound is clean and crisp with hints of Kiss, Guns N' Roses and Motley Crue wrapped in a hard hitting pop-music-infused loin cloth. The dominating feature is Nils Molin's excellent vocals. He, and this is not meant in a bad way, sounds a lot like Robbie Williams! Towards the end of the album, and in a few scattered places throughout, he sounds like Tony Harnell (ex-T.N.T.) too. For the rest, however, he is a fun-faceted clone of the former Take That pop monkey.
Does his pop voice effect proceedings? Not at all. His tone is as lively as a schizophrenic with a scorpion in his pants and only adds to the party atmosphere. Dynazty as a whole remind me of that other new Scandinavian band H.E.A.T., although Dynazty are a touch lighter and less 1980's influenced. Bring The Thunder has a good classic rock sound, but it's modern in its intentions and certainly doesn't suffer by trying too hard to recreate vintage genres.
The title track is a smack-you-in-the-face loud effort with a big chorus and massive performances. I'm fairly certain Nils Molin would have lost his voice for a few days after recording the track; he really does give it his all. 'Catch the Night' is spunky and energetic. 'Lights Out (In Candyland)' with its "love at first bite" lyrics is cool and very memorable. I love the big over-the-top chorus and hints of something dark despite the optimistic sound structure.
'Far Away' is the album's first ballad. It's not particularly beautiful, or emotional, and it struggles to strike a chord with the heart or soul...but there's still something innately likeable about it. It has an almost fantasy-like feel too, as if it belongs, well, far, far away in a fairy tale. 'Top of the Line' is in another league though. Those big heavy riffs and beats are there again, and this time they bring a monster groove that's so hooky you could use it to catch fish.
'Monkey Wants Monkey Needs' is as good as the title suggests. How could it not be? Not so sure about 'Adrenaline'. It's all a bit fun-rock-by-numbers - not terrible, but it's clear Dynazty can do better. 'Take Me Down' starts off in an iffy fashion too. The chorus redeems matters though. 'Devil's Shake' has a good heavy underbelly and a slutty chorus. 'Higher N' Higher' is even heavier - we're not talking Testament here, but I can imagine this stuff will blow the roof off live. Final track 'Sail Away' is a speedy number that really does come across like old T.N.T.. Nowt wrong with that though.
Bring The Thunder is a big surprise release. I really didn't expect it to be anyway near this good and, whilst it isn't quite album of the year, it certainly gives the big boys a run for their money. Dynazty should be bloody proud of this!
Check out... The vocals. We like.
Track List:
1. Bring the Thunder
2. Catch the Night
3. Lights Out (In Candyland)
4. Far Away
5. Top of the Line
6. Monkey Wants Monkey Needs
7. Adrenaline
8. Take Me Down
9. Devil's Shake
10. Higher N' Higher
11. Sail Away
Label: Perris Records
Artist's website(s): Dynazty , MySpace
