One of the many wonders of the digital era is that it opens up the playing field for all bands to be heard and if you, Like me, Have an insatiable need for new musical discoveries then you can find some real gems.
One such discovery for me is Vulvarine, an all female hard rock band from Austria. I heard their song “Rock Bottom” from their first album Unleashed a couple years ago and was hooked, Immediately it brought to mind great bands like Betty Blowtorch, The Pandoras, and The Donnas.
Fast Lane marks their third release after 2020’s Unleashed and 2023’s Witches Brew and their first album to be released under their new label Napalm Records, Fast Lane sees Vulvarine taking everything that makes them great and kicks things up a notch.
“The Drugs, The Love, and The Pain” start things off with a bang and dive head first into an energetic rocker with a punk edge, the melodies in this song are catchy, there’s a guitar solo here that when combined with a rich bass line and driving drums comes together in spectacular fashion.
Next up is “Ancient Soul” which starts off a good mid tempo drum rhythm that loosely reminds me of the drumming on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” but with a slight power metal influence on the guitar playing at the beginning, things pick up the tempo after that and deliver the sort of slightly punky hard rock this band is known for. The riffs groove, the rhythm section stomps, and the vocals soar. I don’t know if it’s the traces of her accent in her vocals but singer Suzy Q has a really cool voice and really stands out as at once smooth, powerful, and kick ass. And speaking of kicking ass there’s another great guitar solo by guitarist Sandy Dee but it’s made that much better by the drumming of Bea Heartbeat and the bass lines of Robin Redbreast.
“Heads Held High” leaves no second to come down from the end of the last song and goes right for the throat, This song just rocks the whole way through with great riffs and powerful vocals.
Normally, I try to single out individual band member stand out moments but this band just gels too perfectly musically that I’m just impressed by the whole sound on on this track they are all playing in perfect harmony.
“Demons” goes a little more metal than you usually see from this band in its riffs, it’s a decent enough track but I feel the chorus could use a little more punch.
“Alright Tonight” starts out with a great rhythm section back beat before the guitars kick in, the bass line from Robin on this song is infectious. The progression of the tempo and melody in this song is excellent and Suzy‘s vocals really shine having such a rich soundscape to sing over. One of the albums best tracks in my opinion.
That last sentiment also applies to the next song “Equal, Not The Same” which was the third single released prior to the album coming out, here you have a powerful driving punk tinged rocker in the vein of Betty Blowtorch, This song kicks you right in the teeth and I envy whoever sees them perform this live. Maybe the best song on the album.
“Fool” was the first single and is something a little (not by much) different from Vulvarine, There’s a bit of a Halestorm quality to this song and I think it’s definitely the most clear cut choice for a single. Suzy‘s vocals on this song sound really cool, I love the raspy quality of her voice in the verses before she brings the smoother and more powerful range on what is the catchiest chorus on the album. The band thunders through the song, this is really the band hitting a new level and probably the song that will appeal to a wider audience.
“Polly The Trucker” just storms in next and comes out swinging, galloping drums thunder behind grooving guitar and bass and damn! What a killer guitar solo later on in this song.
“Dark Red” is an incendiary mid tempo song with a lot of attitude and rocks the whole way through.
“Cheri Cheri Lady” is a cover of song by the band Modern Talking, I honestly had never heard this song until Bloody Heels covered it last year and I decided to check out the original. This version is a lot more energetic and features a guest guitar solo from Filippa Nässil of Thundermother. Of the three versions I’ve now heard of this song I think this is the best one, it’s very energetic and Vulvarine makes it their own.
The album ends with “She’ll Come Around” and it reminds me a bit of the beginning of “Violet” by Hole, An acoustic is being strummed throughout the song as the sounds of a campfire crackle in the background. The only mellow track on the album.
I’m hoping that being on Napalm introduces this band to more people because they are really good, Fast Lane is further proof of that. On their prior album and EP you had great songwriting and powerful performances, On here it’s taken to a whole other level and the musical chemistry they share with each other is undeniable.
The band as a whole are so locked in with each other that I can’t really point anyone out individually as I would normally do, If you listen to everything that is going on in these songs as I do you’ll find every member is doing incredible performances inside these songs and the result is definitely the best release yet by a great band.
8.5/10
