Steen has already reviewed this CD and after he played me some tunes I immediately gained interest in the band.
As much as I would enjoy calling Steen "Miffo" (see his
review for explanation) I must agree that "The Hellbum" is a solid Hard Rock record. Steen's review is spot on and describes the record well. It's been a long time since a new Hard Rock band impressed me, but
Dogpound took me by storm.
Dogpound reminds me of another Swedish band Freak Kitchen. Both Hea's vocals, but more highly the amazing guitar work from Micke, who has great playing style. His crunchy guitars are all over the record and provide
Dogpound with a heavy edge. The heavy riffs and the groovy guitar work are a contrast to the songwriting, which is very melodic.
Dogpound is best described as Hard Rock with a heavy edge.
Album highlights are the songs where
Dogpound uses both acoustic and electric guitars.
Bleed changes tempo and mixes acoustic and electric guitar. Sounds a bit Led Zeppelinish with the acoustic verse, while the electric chorus is really groovy. Another hybrid of electric/acoustic is the groovy
Silent scream, which has an all-acoustic solo from Micke.
The two ballads
Way Up high and
You Remain provide the album with variety from the otherwise heavy approach. "The Hellbum" is packed with great songs and basically it rediscovers the noble art of entertaining the listener through the albums playing time of approximately 45 minutes. This album is supposed to be played loud.
The lyrics are dark and judgement day is the topic on the meaning titles
End Of Our Days and
When The World Comes Down. However, the music gets you in a good mood. The lyrics for
Loser On A King's Throne are ironic and unpretentious, which also goes for the artwork.
The guitar sound is a bit muddy, but it's the signature of
Dogpound along with Hea's vocals. The rhythm section of bassist Figge and drummer Tuka keep it tight through the entire record.
According to the press material
Dogpound has been in and out of the music business since 1999. Despite disappointments they have decided to give one last chance. So if you are a Hard Rock fan I advise you to check this band out. The name
Dogpound misleads, because they should be named pedigree dog. They are a high quality Hard Rock band with songs that should earn them a consolidated place in the music business.
Check them out - Hard Rock fans already lost a lot of great bands and we don't want that to happen again.
Written by
Michael Sunday, February 15, 2004
Show all reviews by MichaelRatingsMichael: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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