Superbug
II
Rating
Style: Melodic Hard Rock
Release date: February 2009
 

Second album of this Dutch band, just bears the title II (very original!), and appears 6 years after their first, apparently after 3 years in the making.

When I saw the cover (quite cool I think) and a photo of the band, with the sort of “western-look” to them, I immediately thought of bands like Brand New Sin and our own (Danish, that is) Powderhog, who plays “dirty”, hard and bluesy heavy/hard rock, that really kicks ass – I was really looking forward to hearing this one.

The first immediate listen was also fairly ok; although I sort of missed something I couldn’t quite put my finger on to begin with… Then after some more listening it got more evident for me, that what I thought was going to be the bark of a bulldog turned out to be more the squeals of a poodle….Too much f***in’ keyboards and yelling-choruses, and I’m not exactly crazy about rock-ballads a la Guns ’n’ Roses either...

Well, if you like the Darkness and an “easier” version of the Cult, this could easily be your kind of thing. I like my stuff a little heavier and more “dirty” – for me this was a bit of a disappointment, the  band has the southern rock sound to them, it just gets too nice and generally too smooth and too polished for my taste.

The production is good and clear, everybody in the band does what they’re supposed to in this kind of style, so technically everything is in order. – and I’m sure they’re a good band for a party-like live performance.

…to win over the rock-radio stations they just need a kind of hit-track, an ear-worm as they say in Germany, a riff you remember after album is over, and there’s not an evident hit here to my ears. If that’s your goal; to reach the masses, I wish you good luck with that, guys. I wish you’d get more raw and a little more unpredictable (quit the keyboards and the weeping ballads fx.), but that’s just my personal taste.
Tracklist

01.

Killing The Habit

02.

Delicious And Fine

03.

Can’t Slow Down

04.

Dangerzone

05.

Into The Fire

06.

Power 2 Peace

07.

Bad Boy Blues

08.

Speedin’ Up

09.

Turn You On

10.

Electrified

11.

New York Minute

Label: PMM Records
Distribution: From the band/label
Artwork rating: 85/100 (fitting the music 20/100)
Reviewed by: Claus Melsen
Date: July 28th 2009
Website: www.superbug.nl