Genre: Hard/Classic Rock
Record Label: Napalm Records
Release Date: 26th September
Links: http://www.audreyhornemusic.com/
Line Up:
Toschie – Vocals
Ice Dale – Guitar
Thomas Tofthagen – Guitar
Espen Lien – Bass
Kjetil Greve – Drums
Track Listing:
Wolf In My Heart
Holy Roller
Out Of The City
Volcano Girl
Tales From The Crypt
Diamond
Into The Wild
Gravity
High And Dry
Waiting For The
Audrey Horne are a hard rock band from Bergen in Norway and this is their fifth album to date. And I have to say that if their other four are anything like this one then I’ll have to get hold of them soon.
“Wolf In My Heart” is a great start to the album and gives a good indicator as to whether you’ll like this album. If you don’t then probably the rest of it won’t be up your street either but that’s not to say that the songs are samey, just that they have a similar style. Taking all the best parts from ‘80’s era glam/hair metal and throwing in some very nice harmony guitars, what you get here is what I imagine the result of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joining Motley Crue would sound like! Sort of. Anyway, “Wolf…” features a lovely crunchy guitar sound for the main riff but uses a production effect to make some of the vocals and guitars sound like they were recorded in the ‘70’s – I’m thinking Montrose maybe. It suits the song and isn’t overdone so it’s a nice touch rather than a gimmick. An excellent guitar solo is followed by some lovely guitar harmonies, which shows the quality of the guitarists in the band nicely.
“Holy Roller” is an uptempo song which is balanced well with a slower and melodic solo and middle section. “Out Of The City” could have come straight from a Thin Lizzy album. Just listen to that intro and you’ll see what I mean. I really like the gang vocals on the choruses too. “Volcano Girl” is probably my favourite track from the album, a great bass intro, a storming riff, great vocals, Maiden-esque guitar harmonies and an awesome solo, love it!
“Tales From The Crypt” is basically just a short and sweet run through Audrey Horne’s influences with a very simple backbeat. It should be a waste of time but it just works and I haven’t skipped it once yet! “Diamond” is basically the gentle guitar and vocal intro before “Into The Wild” kicks in with a riff that could have come from any number of the best artists in the ‘80’s. Be warned though, the hook to this song’s chorus will have you singing this to yourself after the first listen!
“Gravity” is a bit more of a laid back affair and the general feel to it reminds me a little of Priest’s “Heading Out To The Highway” – not a bad thing by any means and nicely placed to contrast with the much more energetic “High And Dry “ that follows it. Sounding like one of Maiden’s more uptempo romps with a great bassline and terrific twin guitars this is a really enjoyable song that’s great fun to sing along to.
“Waiting For The Night” features another one of those great hook-ey choruses and an understated and subtle riff that really grows on you. The layered vocals and guitars during those choruses are an especially nice touch. The final track is “Boy Wonder” and initially I have to admit I thought that this was a track too many but after repeated listens I’ve come to think it might just be one of the best! Definitely a grower, with yet another catchy chorus and a deceptively simple riff that works well over the supporting bassline.
I get the feeling that Audrey Horne will be great to see live and any gig with them involved will be a whole lot of fun. If you grew up in the eighties or appreciate metal from that period then I think you will love this album but it’s also well worth a listen if you enjoy good songs with excellent solos and fine riffs – I know I do.
Written by Duncan Everson
Ratings Chris 9/10
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