ZAN CLAN – We Are Zan Clan …Who The F**k Are You??!

Zinny Zan has built his reputation back in the 80s when he was establishing the foundations for the Swedish Glam Rock scene, as a member of a band called Easy Action. This was the first Swedish band that signed an international deal with a major record company. His distinct voice gave him the opportunity of an international career by joining a freshly formed band called Shotgun Messiah. The band’s homonymous debut album gained distinction, especially in the American market, by selling more than 500,000 copies.

After a rather long and silent intermission, the charismatic front man has returned with a brand new band called Zan Clan. Zinny teamed up with the producer, songwriter, and guitarist, Chris Laney, who has worked with Bruce Kulick (Kiss), Randy Piper (WASP), and several others. In order to have the perfect lineup they hand-picked experienced musicians like drummer Johan Koleberg (Lion’s Share), guitarist Pontus Norgren(Great King Rat, Jekyll ‘n’ Hyde, Humanimal, and Talisman), and bassist Pontus “Eggy” Egberg (Lion’s Share).

The Zan Clan engine starts off with “Go Go Go,” a song that could be found in a dictionary beside the definition of Glam Rock. The steady guitar rhythm section leads to the catchy chorus, which definitely brings to mind Def Leppard in the Pyromania era. Zinny’s voice has everything from Vince Neil’s (Motley Crue) singing attitude to Steven Tyler’s (Aerosmith) screams. The next song is “Heart ‘n’ Soul,” a Rock ‘n’ Roll conviction with a “Shout at the Devil” feeling in the chorus and a very good guitar solo. Chris Laney affirms his guitar skills in the up-tempo song, “High Speed Junkie.” The song comprises a fast and catchy main riff, and yet another skillful guitar solo. Sexy women are the main and only subject in “So Damn Good,” a mid-tempo song with a lot of “bad” attitude in the vocal lines. Following “Mess Ya Up,” another classic Glam Metal oriented song, is one of the best tracks of the album with the most ridiculous lyrics, entitled “Silver Bullet Toy.” The main character is a vibrator that blows its own trumpet about its “enjoyment” services. There is a festive feeling in the whole song, with a driving guitar pace that can blow away your bad mood. The bass guitar intro brings “Heart Died Young” to life, with Zinny delivering high (almost screaming) notes at ease. “Déjà vu,” “Jinxed,” and “Can Get U Out” follow the classic pattern of catchy choruses and compact guitar rhythm sections.

Something that is definitely missing from this Glam Metal gem is the customary love ballad. The outro is like a teaser, which just underlines the aforementioned ballad absence. The album then closes with a pretty good cover of Cheap Trick’s classic “Surrender.”

Laney, in addition to writing songs with Zinny, has done a perfect job with the album production by succeeding in reproducing the 80s atmosphere when this music genre was born.

Zan Clan’s debut album is indeed some kind of a statement that the Glam Metal scene is back in full force, bringing back to life a music genre that’s been missing for just too long to afford.