Hands up everyone who remember this Norwegian glam-lot. Or those who even know who they are. Things is, I find Wig Wam one of the most underrated bands ever. On the other hand, I kinda get why people saw them as some kind of joke back when. With an image so glam it made Poison look like Grunge and with goofy names like Glam, Sporty, Teeny and Flash, it’s understandable that some rockers flinched but the fact is, there was more to the band than a colorful image and corny names – Wig Wam (read singer Åge-Sten Nilsen and guitarist Trond Holter) could write some brilliant pop-metal tunes and they all were (are) damn good musicians. However, after four fine albums the band disbanded in 2012 after some intern conflicts and with that, I never thought I would see another Wig Wam album ever again.
Trond Holter went and played with singer and fellow country-man Jorn Lande, with who he also made the brilliant Swing Of Death (2015) album, a rock-opera about Dracula looked through eyes of the master vampire himself. A follow-up, Vlad The Impaler was also released in 2018, this time with Pagan’s Mind singer Nils K Rue. Åge-Sten Nilsen threw himself both into a solo career and the band Ammunition, a band he formed with Eclipse guy Erik Mårtensson who released two albums, Shangaied (2014) and Ammunition (2018). Both guys seemed at ease with their careers so when the WIg Wam reunion was confirmed it really felt like it came out of the blue. Pictures of the reformed band shows a hugely toned down glam-image and nowadays they go by their real names – gone are their Spice Girls names, thank you very much.
To take us into the opening title-track and leading single we get a short intro called “The Second Crusade” that holds a slight Arabian twitch and with that a heavy yet melodic riff takes kicks off “Never Say Die”. It’s a darker laden and driven hard-rocker taken straight out of Holter’s Swing Of Death pocket albeit with a clearer nod to the vocal-melodies of Wig Wam’s past. What strikes me most here is the heaviness of the song and the lack of the glam-pop-metal of old – the right way to go, if you ask me. That being said, the tune is still full of memorable melodies, hooks and an enormous refrain that comes on strong with a punchy hookline. That rock-radio hasn’t picked this one up is a mystery – and a malpractice at large. This, my friends, is a brilliant tune.
The raunchy, riff-happy heaviness continues with “Hypnotized”, a mid-paced and chunky groover where the punchy rhythm-section carries the razor-sharp riffing of Holter’s and the spot-on vocal-melodies from Nilsen. It’s a powerful rocker that’s – again – more Hard Rock than the Melodic Rock we know them for but the hooks, melody-lines and the shit-hot chorus makes no mistakes in making sure which band this is. Great tuff. “Shadow Of Eternity”, however, takes us back to the band’s Melodic Rock days with more prominent keyboards but the punchy rhythms and the grittier guitars gives the tune a rowdier edge making the contrast between Hard Rock and the hit-laden, über-catchy chorus a dynamic one. Very, very good.
The latest single “Kilimanjaro” is a pop-rock beast where they salute their old days musically – albeit with a slice of country-rock and a hard-rocking ground – on a fun-loving note but with a more serious lyrical content. It’s an upbeat, crowd-pleasing number that brings on a chunky swing and a chorus so catchy it makes every go-to hitmaker out there green with envy. Terrific stuff. The guys pick up the heaviness and the rougher edges with “Where Does It Hurt”, an addictive tune that’s more in vein of the early 90’s rather than the mid 80’s. It’s a beefy and muscular Hard Rock belter with striking riffs, a powerful yet melodic main-melody and an in-your-face and direct refrain that is a fist in the gut. Awesome stuff.
To cool us down a notch they treat us with a monster-ballad called “My Kaleidoscope Ark” a slow power-ballad with a thick backbone. It’s a lighter-in-the-air (kids, read cell-phone) number, sensitive with a glistening pop-hook and delicious melodies all over and the mighty chorus holds a soundscape taken right from 1989. It’s catchy as can be although not the least cheesy or mawkish. I love it. “Dirty Little Secret”, is a sleazy late 80’s rocker, a bit of a lyrical cliché, glammy and straight-forward but it also contains a groovy riff and pounding drums. It’s hard not to surrender to the chorus but even though it’s a groundy, striking rocker, it’s not as strong as its predecessors.
With a title used to death by now, “Call Of The Wild” makes up for it by being a tremendous tune with a contrast that really shouldn’t work but does. Think a bonafide party-rocker – upbeat, riff-happy, groovy with melodies that gets stuck like super-glue but is on the other hand darker-laden, heavy and headbang-friendly. These things usually don’t go hand in hand but here feels like the most natural thing in the world. Add a super-catchy, bang-on-target refrain and you’re home. It’s awesome and should be a single! “Northbound” is a slower, instrumental ballad where Holter brings out his inner Gary Moore combined with a classic Holter/Wig Wam melody and a chunky feel. The tune gets heavier and rougher along the way without losing its catchiness and again, the Dracula records makes themselves reminded here. Very good.
“Hard Love” is slower in pace yet with a catchy groove and a powerful outlook, built on on a punchy and thick rhythm and some mean guitar-riffing. It also contains a Classic Rock vibe with a bluesy expression and a slight nod towards Whitesnake of the last two decades. The groove is built on the rolling bass-line and the effective drum beats – the chorus-hook is nothing but contagious, catchy without being radio-friendly at all. Good one. The closing track “Silver Lining” is musically unexpected but nevertheless a killer track. It’s a ballad of sorts with an upbeat rhythm and a Beatles inspired melody-arrangement with a pop-hook. Slightly symphonic on a Melodic Rock base but it also contains very recognizable Wig Wam melody-lines all over. The chorus is distinct and catchy without bringing any sugar to the table. The long ending is superb with its juicy and flowing guitar-solo which brings on a jam-like outro to the song. Brilliant.
The reunited Wig Wam is a way heavier version than we’re used to but with their very personal melody-structures on all the songs, it’s not that hard to recognize which band it is we’re listening to here. It’s nowhere as glammy and glossy as their older stuff and they’re more of a Hard Rock act now than a Melodic Rock, Glam-band but Holter and Nilsen sure haven’t forgot how to write brilliant songs with killer hooks and massive choruses. The right way to go, if you ask me. Hopefully, with a heavier sound and a more serious outlook, people might get past the glam and glitter of old and stop seing Wig Wam as some kind of Steel Panther act because they god-damn deserve it. Their best album to date. Wig Wam is dead – long live Wig Wam. And go buy this album!
8/10
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Tracklist:
1. The Second Crusade
2. Never Say Die
3. Hypnotized
4. Shadow Of Eternity
5. Kilimanjaro
6. Where Does It Hurt
7. My Kaleidoscope Ark
8. Dirty Little Secret
9. Call Of The Wild
10. Northbound
11. Hard Love
12. Silver Lining
CD & Festival reviews 