Wednesday 25 November 2015

Honeymoon Disease - The Transcendence


Release date: November 20th 2015. Label: Napalm Records. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

The Transcendence – Tracklisting

1. Higher
2. Stargazer
3. Imperial Mind
4. Gotta Move
5. You're Too Late
6. Break Up
7. Bellevue Groove
8. Fast Love
9. Rock'N'Roll Shock
10. Brand New Ending
11. Keep Me Spinning

Band Members:

Jenna - vocals, guitar
Acid - guitar
Anders - bass guitar
Jimi - drums

Review:

Take a huge cauldron and hang it over an open fire. Add in equal measures MC5, Kiss, Iggy & The Stooges, Thin Lizzy, The Hellacopters and Hanoi Rocks. Stir thoroughly until all the ingredients are well mixed and top everything off with a healthy dose of all things Gothenburg. Let it simmer for a good while and make sure it's cooked to perfection. Vóila, you have a shitkicking, knuckle dragging, in-your-face badass band called Honeymoon Disease. Where are they from you ask? Gothenburg, of course, one of the best cities in the world.

Full of grit and attitude 'HIgher' kickstarts this suckerpunch of an album. Jenna and Acid are riffing like there is no tomorrow while incorporating sweet harmonies at the same time. Beautiful! A sweet mix of Thin Lizzy and The Hellacopters emanates from 'Stargazer'. Slightly slower than it's predecessor, the band goes for melodies and a languishing tone. And man, the solo is awesome. It's back to ballsyland again with 'Imperial Mind'. Stripped down, full of edge and going 120mph this is rock'n'roll at it's prime. Full of groove and riffs 'Gotta Move' is a very apt title. I mean, I can't stop dancing and head banging to it...and I can't dance to save my life! Apart from doing great dual guitar, both in the riff and harmonizing department, Jenna and Acid harmonizes excellently vocally as well. Not only on this song but on the whole album. Oh, that Thin Lizzy ending is great!

Back to good ole' r'n'r on 'You're Too Late' there's a dollop of punk snarl and attitude. Short, sharp and to the point Honeymoon Disease can't do no wrong. 'Breakup' is as close as it gets to ballad on this wax. Slow and full of groove with painful lyrics, hence the title, it shows the diversity and talent this band possess. The rhythm section of Anders and Jimi is on point, as usual, but they really shine here. And the same can be said for 'Bellevue Groove', a song that could have been taken taken straight out of the heydays of Kiss, when they were still a great band. Mid-paced but on the spot as it snakes and weaves it's way to the end. Oh yeah, total rock at it's finest, 'Fast Love' is a beast. Big riffs fly high side by side with harmonies and a devil-may-care demeanour.

Rhythm and rattle rub shoulders on the super tight groover 'Rock'N'Roll Shock'. It belongs to the slower songs on 'The Transcendence' but it showcases a band at it's very best. Weaving back and forth between tempos the guitars either roars or whispers while the bass guitar is thumping mercilessly as the drums pounds me to dust. Yes, I'm talking about the dark 'Brand New Ending'. It has everything the band is rolled into one song and it is absolutely amazing! 'Keep Me Spinning' ends this stunning debut from my fellow Swedes and what a way to end things. Starting out mid-paced, it is one of those songs that gradually builds up to finally explode in the end. Not only is it by far the longest track on the album but it is also one of the best. And that says a lot about this monster release. Once the eruption is over and you think the song is done a beautiful outro commences that blows my mind.

What a nice surprise this was. Had not heard of this troupe before, so to have them knock me off my feet is awesome. That's how I want every album I listen to to be. True, that doesn't happen as often as I like. So when it does I am completely taken away and smitten and I'll love said album until the day I die. Honeymoon Disease has done this and then some. Add to the fact that they hail from my old home town Gothenburg makes things even better. Seriously though, if you like your rock'n'roll to have awesome riffs, loads of groove, harmonies, bite and attitude look no further. Honeymoon Disease are the real deal and they take no prisoners!

Words by Håkan Nyman

Thanks to Mona, Jon and Andy at NapalmRecords for the promo. The Transcendence is available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Napalm Records now.

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