One of the many aspects of 80’s style rock n roll that makes it so endearing is that it’s fun. Bands like Van Halen, Poison, and Def Leppard were prime examples of this and more recent bands like Crazy Lixx and Reckless Love exemplify this as well. If you, Like me, Are saddened about the dissolution of Reckless Love then look no further for something to lift your spirits because these guys are basically Sweden’s answer to that band, While they don’t sound exactly like them I do think there are a fair few comparisons to be made.
Cruzh’s last album Tropical Thunder was an intoxicating collection of radio and arena ready anthems that far surpassed their debut in my opinion, Add to the great and catchy song writing that on their second record they had a new vocalist Alex Waghorn who reminds me a bit of Olli from Reckless Love.
The Jungle Revolution releases this Friday March 22nd and sees the band picking up right where they left off with their previous record.
The album kicks off with the title track which begins with some drums and cricket sounds before some riffs kick in that would make Def Leppard proud. In fact, I’d say there’s a heavy influence from that band on the sound of this song. I’m not trying to say this song has any funk sound whatsoever but there’s an almost funk groove to the chorus of this song and my god is the way they power through the guitar solo in this song as a band a thing of beauty. This is a song with a groove you can dance to.
Next up is “Angel Dust” which goes harder than the previous track, This one goes into the territory of Crashdiet’s second album The Unattractive Revolution with some sleazy riffs and grittier vocals not far off from Olli on that album or Dave from Hell in the Club, Add to that some great gang vocals at the chorus. This energetic track is honestly one of my favorites on the album.
“FL89” I believe was the first single from the album and is one of the songs where I see a lot of similarities to early Reckless Love, With it’s catchy melodies, Chorus, and nostalgic subject matter this was the obvious choice for a single. It’s just a fun track.
I love a well mixed album with great sounding instruments and this record has it all, Kudos to everyone who worked on this album for making it sound flawless.
“Killing In The Name Of Love” might be my favorite track on the album at this point, It gets stuck in my head more than any other song on the album. This is a huge sounding song with great melodies and a chorus that will live in your head rent free, I could honestly see this one working acoustically as well and given the rhythm structure of the song I feel like it might have started that way. There’s another great guitar solo here that serves the melody of the song perfectly. It maybe doesn’t immediately stand out as a single like the prior track does but between the two I’d say this is the better and catcher song.
Next up is “SkullCruzher” which starts out with some electric piano that would’ve fit well on the self titled album from Heart before the mid tempo rocking riffs kick in, At times on this song Alex sounds a bit like Danny Rexon from Crazy Lixx. There’s a slight early Bon Jovi influence on this song but it’s overall heavier than that band ever was. This is a good song in its own right but I don’t feel it hits at the level of the songs before it on this album.
“At The Radio Station” comes charging in next with an unrelentingly fun song that don’t let up the pace of its energetic melodies, while it’s not a heavy song it will have your head banging through the whole song and maybe get the rest of you moving as well.
“Split Personality” picks up the pace with a faster and harder song, charging riffs and soaring vocals dominate this song. I get very slight Hardcore Superstar and Hell in the Club vibes here, If you play this one in your car make sure you’re strapped in, This one may inadvertently get you into trouble.
I love the slight acoustic blues and electric hard rock interplay going on in “Sold Your Soul” it’s a badass track with a lot to chew on musically and playing that will keep you moving, another of my favorites on the album, I can’t really compare it to anyone but damn is this a fantastic track with EXCELLENT guitar playing.
“From Above” slows things down for a ballad, It starts out with electric piano and some atmospheric strings, It’s a beautiful song overall but I feel like it needs a bit more lift in the chorus which you do eventually get towards the end of the song along with a great melodic solo.
“Winner” picks things back up with great hard rocking song reminiscent of Kissin Dynamite, I love everything about this song except the chorus feels a bit off to me and doesn’t connect as well with what is going on melodically in it.
The album ends with “Gimme Anarchy” which is another song that reminds me of the second Crashdiet album, a good hard rocking conclusion to the album.
After how great the last album by Cruzh was I was really looking forward to its follow up and overall I wasn’t disappointed, This is by far their best album yet. The vocals are excellent, The playing is fantastic and thanks to excellent mixing each member of the band shines in their performances, But more than anything The Jungle Revolution is a fun album. So crank up the volume and have a great time while listening to the new album from Cruzh.
8/10
TRACKLIST
1. The Jungle Revolution
2. Angel Dust
3. FL89
4. Killing In The Name Of Love
5. SkullCruzher
6. At The Radio Station
7. Split Personality
8. Sold Your Soul
9. From Above
10. Winner
11. Gimme Anarchy
LINEUP
Alex Waghorn – lead vocals
Anton Joensson – guitar, background vocals
Dennis Butabi Borg – bass, background vocals
Johan Öberg – guitar
Matt Silver – drums, background vocals
