Dogpound a is not a band without humor. I mean, who in their right mind would call their first band Frozen Miffo? Well, these four guys are from Sweden, so maybe that explains it. Anyway, the former band name alone made me keep this promo for myself. A not quite ordinary cover, a somewhat unfortunate album title and a strange fascination with dogs aside, this band plays some smashing Rock'n'Roll that deserves to be heard.
Heavy, riff-laden and energy filled music with extremely cool vocals that makes you want to sing along is the order of the day. Sole guitarist Micke does an outstanding job. His guitar gives the songs a great drive, usually with a crushing riff while adding many small details in the background. There is an energy and a happy feel to the music that has made me hear the album over and over. This happy vibe stands in contrast to the mostly dark lyrics, which describe som pretty bleak situations. This vibe is slightly comparable to the latest
Nuclear Valdez album (In a minute all could change), only this is much heavier and slightly less personal with a more tongue-in-cheek kind of approach in some songs.
All the songs have a verse-bridge-chorus structure and this gives them a nice tendency to slow down and speed up in the various stages of the song.
...For my sins and
Loser on a king's throne are fast rockers, while songs like
Way up high and
You remain slow things down and give the album an almost dreamy edge. Especially
You remain has a really relaxed feel and a wonderful chorus.
It's difficult to pick a favorite as every song has some strong points, but
End of our days,
Going down in flames,
Welcome to the mystery and
Silent Scream come close. They are also good examples of what to expect from the album.
As you can probably tell all the songs are really good. I just miss that extra something to make them spectacular. Some songs have a tendency to sound a little same'ish and this runs through the album. While the production is very good and makes every instrument audible it also gives the album a dry sound that I feel adds to this feeling. Even though I love the powerful crunch of the guitar sound, I also feel that it becomes a little monotone after a while. A little more variety and a few surprises would have been nice. These are not major issues though and overall this is a very good album by proficient musicians.
I have a feeling that this music would be perfect while sitting in the sun drinking a cool beer.
Dogpound's debut shows great potential and if you like Hard Rock you should give them a chance, I can promise you won't be disappointed. If I'm proven wrong you may call me Miffo.
Written by
Steen Tuesday, January 20, 2004
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