SILVERDOLLAR - review added 1st August 2011
Album Review: Morte (2011)
For fans of: Heavy Metal
Swedish band SilverDollar has been around since 1996 and started up as a tribute band. In 2002 they released an album of covers, and by 2007 they had released their first album of originals "Evil Never Sleeps"...although confusingly one of the songs on this album has that title too.
The band's sound is speedy power/heavy metal in the vein of Judas Priest, Brainstorm and so on. Unfortunately it's all a bit safe and polite in comparison to the best of the breed. There's little that's wrong with "Morte" on the playing or performing front, but it's hard to put your finger on anything that's amazing. The singing is really rather good, the musicianship is way more than ample, but ultimately it's mostly a tad forgettable. Shame.
'CO2' is enjoyable once it gets going and 'Eternal Glory' has a decent slab-like chorus, but apart from that it's a struggle finding real standout moments.
In Summation:
I enjoyed this album on it's first play through, but I have to say several spins down the road it doesn't do a lot for me anymore. WIth some big choruses and monster hooks this band could go far... but they aren't there yet.
Entertainment/Enjoyment:
Musicianship:
Vocals:
Song Writing:
Production:
Overall (Not An Average Of The Above):
Track List:
01. Morte
02. C02
03. Evil Never Sleeps
04. Three Finger Man
05. Damage Done
06. Evil Good
07. HF
08. Hear Me
09. Eternal Glory
10. Raging Eyes
11. Still a Rocker
12. Rot
Band/Performers:
Ola Berg - Guitar
Mats Hjerp - Drums
Fredrik Hall - Bass
Esa Englund - Vocals
Other Info:
Mixing and Mastering by Markus Teske at Bazement Studio
Cover artwork and booklet by Julian Iliev
Label: Massacre Records
Artist's website(s): SilverDollar | MySpace | Facebook
