[01.02] Ok, I'll start this review with a little history lesson in Scandi-rock. There once was a legendary cult band from Sweden called The Nomads. They sounded like and worked with people like Gun Club and Johnny Thunders. They're actually still around, and still occasionally release CDs—and they're even very nice guys to boot—yet they never got beyond the point of obscure cult-dom. On the other end of the aisle, from Norway, came the also-legendary Turbonegro, who was only a little less obscure. Combining death-punk and a twisted sense of humor, Turbonegro flamed out when the singer was sent off to the mental ward. (Side note: They're actually playing a reunion gig this summer. The singer's spent some time managing a fish museum in remote northern Norway, so I guess that mended his psyche.)

Somewhere between the sounds of these two bands, waves of new pretenders to the Scandi-rock crown have been unleashed over the past decade. First, bands like Sweden's Hellacopters and Norway's Gluecifer (both signed to Sub Pop) threw in a bit of Kiss, Motorhead and AC/DC. Then bands like The Hives, Cato Salsa Experience and The Flaming Sideburns mixed Rolling Stones and The Stooges into this unholy rawk 'n' rawl testosterone sound. On the tails of this wave of sound, members of Union Carbide Productions (think psychedelic Stooges), started Soundtrack of our Lives, stirred in psychedelic pop and have since been garnering rave reviews across the pond. As thousands of reviews have said before, none of these bands have re-invented rock ´n° roll. Rather, it is the reverence for and devotion to rock ´n° roll that has made this scene so interesting.

What does all of this have to do with Silverbullit? Well, first of all, they're Swedish and this album was produced by one of the members of Soundtrack of our Lives. Further, while their previous work was loud, fast and noisy, with this album they add in modern psychedelia a-la Spiritualized and My Bloody Valentine. Which is what makes it such a great album. While The Guardian (UK, not the Bay Area one) recently called them the "Scandinavian Joy Division," I'd say they are more in rock-out Mercury Rev/Flaming Lips territory, with a distinct edge.

If that sounds like an almost impossible amalgam of musical styles, I should say that while Silverbullit pays tribute to all their aforementioned forbearers, they have crafted a coherent sound that adds a whole new layer of sophistication to Scandi-rock. So perhaps it is a bit of a sin to dilute the archetypical cock-rock that so many Scandinavian bands re-cast as their own. Yet, I guess even 16-year-old boys have to grow up eventually. In summary, this is a great album that still kicks ass. —Nils