Normally I’m not very much into Punk or Punkrock, but as Gob Squad is from my home town of Aarhus (and I should be a little local patriotic), and I’ve seen a great live performance by them (as pre band to Volbeat), I thought I ought to give this their new album a shot.

This is the bands third release, the first two appeared on smaller labels, but this time they’ve landed a deal with Mascot Records. Maybe it’s time to step into the bigger league..?

Those who expects a repetition of their two previous punkrock releases, are in for a surprise/disappointment, ‘cause Gob Squad has become clearly more oriented towards appealing to a larger audience, without getting mainstream commercial. Maybe they’re influenced/inspired by the sound (and success) of Volbeat, that frontman/guitarist Thomas Bredahl joined last year, along with still playing in GobSquad.

Both songs and the sound in general isn’t quite as raw edged as earlier, and has become more melody orientated, but still in all the tracks the sound and feeling of the bands punkrock roots are present. There are lots of good riffs and hooks, and the numbers are very varied, although not all of them stands out equally strong.

The opener Unconscious Souls reminds me a bit about the alternative rock of 30 Seconds To Mars (with a raw edge), and Vacuum Of My Own has a real (fu*kin’ great) metal (head)banger riff, and others are more in between “just” genuine rockers…

Well, to be quite honest, neither Thomas nor Anders Albrektsen (v/g) who both are doing the vocals on this album, has the greatest voices in rock, but they deliver the shouting vocals with an intensity that somehow wins you over anyway. Also Bassist Jimmy Nedergaard and drummer Soren Jensen does a very respectable effort.

The album needs a few spins, at least it did for me, before it opens up to you. The boys sure have some really strong numbers for their next live appearance – with this album they should be able to deliver a performance as energetic and spell-binding as last time.

I don’t really know what to think about the cover art – on one hand I don’t particularly like it, it comes off more primitive than the music – on the other hand I can see the concept when I have seen the video for Unconscious Souls (see YouTube) –

Nice one – not bad boys!

(See interview with Thomas elsewhere on this site).