Demons Stockholm Slump
By
Frank Meyer,
Contributing Editor
Wednesday, October 9, 2002 @ 1:43 PM
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Boy, it seems that Sweden is a hotbed of high energy, kick ass rock n’ roll these days, kind the new Seattle… except that none of the bands have actually sold any records here yet. Between The Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, The Hives, and so on you got yerself a heapin’ batch o’ buzz bands that’re leaving the A&R weasels in the good ol’ US of A scratchin’ their head in bewilderment. I can just hear it now:
“But… they aren’t pop divas?”
“But they aren’t nu metal rap wiggers?”
“But they actually play geetars???”
Yes, kids, American rock is back, it’s just being sodomized by the Swedes right now… and often to glorious results…
The Demons hail from Stockholm and play -- guess what? -- high-octane, Detroit-style punk rawk n’ roll with twin guitars all hot and bothered and a boom crash rhythm section that aims to kill. Floating in the same sphere as Glucifer, Turbonegro and the aforementioned ‘Copters, the Demons turn it up loud and never look back. At their best, like in “Devil In Me” and “Hot Runnin’ Blood,” they walk the line between revved up rootsy punk ala Social Distortion and New Yawk hard rawk ala Electric Frankenstein or even early Misfits. Fans of Backyard Babies and New Bomb Turks will certainly dig the breakneck rockers “Suburban Kid,” “Ends,” and “Blackballed” for sure and I especially love the Joey Ramone-ish “Da-Da-Da-Da Degeneration” on “Degeneration Hotel.” Basically you got yer punk rock by way of hard rock in league with heavy metal. Got it?
The standout tracks here fo’ sho’ tho’ are the jangly, mid-tempo “…Come A Day” and the Dead Boys/Lords of the New Church-sounding “Sparkle,” as they are really the only songs that takes a breath, and it’s a welcome change. Likewise, “We Ain’t Going Nowhere” is blast a straight up Buckcherry/Guns N’ Roses style hard rock and is a welcome retreat from the fast and furious assault of the rest of the material.
If anything, the only real complaint is that the songs all kinda collide into each other after awhile, which I suppose was the goal here, an in-your-face rock n’ roll attack. Well, mission accomplished. I just woulda preferred if they had taken some more chances, some more risks. The few times they slow it down a notch and lock into a groove they really take flight and step outside of the garage rock genre. Oh well, maybe next album… for now, just rock…
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