The first time I heard Bombus, I didn’t like them. Someone posted a video on a forum and hailed the band as the best thing ever, kind of. I didn’t agree one bit. I don’t remember which song it was, but I thought it was noisy, lacked structure and the song didn’t stick one bit. Besides, I hated the name. I have issues with bands that have names that I find crappy or stupid. That’s not very smart, I know, but I’m getting better at ignoring myself when those thoughts comes along. Well, I kept on not liking Bombus for a while until one evening when me and a couple of friends had a vinyl night at my place. We drank beer and listened to vinyl records. And played Rock Science. That’s a parlor game, for you who don’t know that. One friend brought his copy of Bombus’ second album The Poet And The Parrot (2013), which he cranked at full volume (well, almost…). That was when it hit me – the album was good. Really damn good. All of a sudden I needed that album bad. The combination of beer, the company of good friends and Bombus really did the trick. That said, I still haven’t got around to buy that record, but I have to because I hate streaming. I don’t consider streaming listening to music for real. Anyway, I just recently found out that Bombus are a Swedish band, from Gothenburg to be more precise and they have released two albums prior to this one, their self-titled debut came out in 2010. That’s pretty much all I could find out about the band. If and / or with who the members – Feffe Berglund and Matte Säker – both on vocals and guitars, Ola Henriksson – bass and drummer Peter Asp – have played with before is apparently for them to know and us to find out. Anyway, with the release of the new album, I knew I just had to check it out and review it – hopefully I would like it, it’s much more fun to give a high rating than to bring out the chainsaw on records.
Opener “Eyes On The Price” (hmm, shouldn’t that be ‘prize’, guys?) is a real ballbuster – heavy, hard and right in the guts. It’s a bit on the noisy side, but the melody is so direct that it becomes catchy – brilliant! “Rust” is bombastic, hard and with a steady groove it makes sure that no one gets away easily. Phenomenal! “Deadweight” is a real killer. A big groove and an aggressive metal vibe mixed with a very memorable vocal melody makes it a standout track here. “Hordes Of Flies” is a metal track, very in-your-face, big sounding with a driving rhythm, but at the same time quite accessible – melodic aggression, maybe? “I Call You Over (Hairy Teeth Part 2)” is the closest thing we’ll get to a ballad from this lot, but we’re not talking about no power balladry here, even though this ballad is really powerful, no, this ballad is heavy, angry, hard and dark. Fact is, I’m actually getting a Watain vibe from the melody and atmosphere here – yes, Watain do have their softer moments as well. It’s a fantastic song, ballad or not. The title track is also very direct and in-your-face raw heavy metal. But it’s on the clattering side, but with an influence that brings melodic rock to mind – awesome! “Shake Them For What They’re Worth” is one of my favorite songs on this album. It goes right for your gut, but still have this melodic vibe and the acoustic guitars brings a more accessible edge. “You The Man” is a short, direct and bang-boom right in the guts kind of tune that goes for knock-out right away. When / if you manage to rise after the knock-out that was the last song, you’ll get the closing track, “Get Your Cuts”, a slow, dark and heavy, but spellbinding metal tune with a melody that’s enchanting – a brilliant way to end this brilliant disc!
With their new record, Bombus takes no prisoners here and they waste no time in making sure that the listener will surrender right on the spot. Maybe this music isn’t for everyone because even though the songs are memorable and sometimes even catchy – this is hard, raw, kick-ass hard rock and metal with a hell of a bite. The production is also bulls-eye. The sound is hard, edgy, aggressive and mean, but at the same time crystal clear which takes away some of the more noisy bits that the last album had, makes it more accessable – not as in commercial or mainstream at all – which might bring their music out to a broader audience. Fact is, I believe that this record could very well be the album that breaks this band big time. At least, it deserves to. Brilliant. Awesome. Magnificent. This guy is floored!
9/10
Tracklist:
1. Eyes On The Price
2. Rust
3. Deadweight
4. Horde Of Flies
5. I Call You Over (Hairy Teeth Part II)
6. Repeat Until Death
7. Shake Them For What They´re Worth
8. You The Man
9. Get Your Cuts
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