First off I have to say that not at all everything that lands on my desk is something that I've asked for and certainly not something that is my style either. And since I'm not at all sworn to objectivity, that is also clear from the get-go in most of the reviews I do of bands who are unfortunate enough to have their CD land on the infamous desk of mine. I have to say what I always say to people when asked about this: I have my taste, varied as it may be, but it's mine, and you should have your own.
This also means that even if my rating of this album by Danish Grumpynators is lukewarm at best, then we may very well have another Danish band who, like Volbeat, have found a niche in the world of hard music that will work on the masses.
Grumpynators are not Volbeat, but there are certainly close ties with the fellow Copenhageners. Guitarist Christian will be recognised by many Volbeat fans as the guitarist who enters the stage during concerts and does the acoustic bits. He happens to be guitar tech for Volbeat. Bassist and singer Jakob contributed to the Volbeat songs Lonesome Rider and 16 Dollars.
And exactly Jakob's acoustic floor bass is one of the things that sound wise and visually makes a difference and could be a deciding factor in propelling the band into fame.
If you read through the promo letter that accompanies the CD, you'll see that names like Volbeat, Ramones and Johnny Cash are mentioned, and that this is called a mix of hardrock, metal and rockabilly. That is all good and for the most part true, but again, when it comes down to taste, I think it's more Ramones and rockabilly than the other elements, and that doesn't quite make it into my personal list of big hits - even if I can hear that everything is probably done right and if the sound is great (produced by the band and former Withering Surface/Invocator drummer Jakob Gundel and mastered by Jacob Hansen).
So, this one is for those of you like your rock music to have a big slab of American punk and rockabilly in it - I'm sure you'll be more than pleased!
