Deep Purple Mk. III and IV were always more popular in overseas than North America and that influence has shown on countless European bands the past 30 years. Skanska Mord sound like a modern version of Deep Purple’s Burn era but with 2 guitars instead of keyboards.Hailing from a small village in the south of Sweden, it’s obvious that this is not an American band. Their sound is more majestic than most North American hard rock bands even when they include blues elements in the jams. This is their debut album but the members are seasoned musicians, an alliance forged from ex-members of bands Half Man and Mothercake.
“Under The Volcano” opens the album and vocalist Jan Bengtsson sounds almost like Chris Cornell sitting in with Deep Purple on a heavy metal version of “Mistreated.” The riffs are definitely 70’s but the production is modern. The guitars of Patrik Berglin and Petter Englund blend together to sound like one giant instrument while the rhythm section of Patric Carlsson (bass) and Thomas Jönsson (drums) keep it tight but let the music swing when it needs to.
Fans of Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold” will love the sleazy groove of “Doghouse.” Sabbath freaks will love jams like “Two In The Mourning” and “Daybreak” (NOT the Barry Manilow song), both of which feature some wailing harmonica. “1111” starts off like Iron Maiden’s “Prowler” with some skanky wah-wah and a cool stop-start groove. Hopefully this one will get some play at the strip clubs in their hometown. The title track is a 9 minute epic that starts off slow and moody and builds into a giant guitar duel. This is what Blackfoot might have sounded like if they were from Germany.
Fans of Sweden’s mighty Dozer will love this. So will anyone who digs Cathedral, Obiat, Witchcraft or old Rainbow. This is perfect wintertime music. Put some logs in the fireplace, open up a bottle of wine, thumb through the Satanic Bible and party!
--Woody
Buy here: Last Supper
http://www.myspace.com/skanskamordmusic
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