GRAVEYARD – Graveyard

Wow, wait a minute this must be some kind of time warp – the seventies and early eighties not dead yet at all?! Graveyard recently heaved up their namesake debut and Psychedelic music may not be exactly up to date, but, boy oh boy, you can hear Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Sabbath on this one. At times the style of Graveyard is comparable to Australia’s Wolfmother or Audioslave in some parts. Roaring riffs, hopping drums, and a smoky raunchy voice.

Is that Robert Plant singing there or is it Glenn Danzig? Retro, pal, straight-up retro! And the cover art, a painted flash by Timothy Leary himself (don’t know the name, google it!)? These guys must be American or at least British — NO! They’re hailing from the country of Viking Metal: Sweden! May it be from Gothenburg — no Vikings in sight on the horizon of this silver plate.

A trip to the official myspace offers you pics of bandmates that look like they’re really from the seventies, long hair, braids, and mustaches – *%#! Somebody call 1-800 STYLE DOCTOR. But seriously, you might think those sounds from the past are a chewed and worn out style. Not at all. Every single one of the nine tracks is unique. It worked for Wolfmother didn’t it? If you like the already mentioned heroes of former times, then this is it, a “have to buy!” This silverling was produced by Don Alsterberg and he deserves a good amount of the success this album should have. The whole plate sounds very damp, but doesn’t have a bad sound at the same time. It’s meant to be like that and in that way strengthens the retro feeling.

Every song is very rocky and creates a warm, comforting atmosphere. Lead guitar and singer in-charge are fighting endless battles, yet together and somehow against each other. Wait a minute, there must be some bell bottoms in this wardrobe somewhere. “When I feel good I’ll move you slow,” says the chorus line of “Thin Line.” What? Slow moving? Not at all, dude! Dancing and writing at the same time, look at me – ha! Sorry for this outburst, but it describes the musical situation very well. But, besides all the good, there must be room for criticism.

The Butt …

Well, mentioned above were the braids and the mustaches. So there’s only one thing left: This supposedly “long”-player only lasting for about 39 meager minutes. This makes the time you’ll have to wait for the next album simply unbearable. And honestly, the music Graveyard offers has to match your favorite style, otherwise you won’t let it in very often.