Black Belt
First blood
Novoton
Not to be mistaken with the Sega Master System game of the same name, Black Belt play a brand of rock that is reminiscent of bands from the '70s (AC/DC, Cheap Trick, etc...) and which a lot of bands today are trying to do (I'm looking in your direction, Jet.) In this case, Black Belt manage to do a decent job of it.
The Swedish trio's debut, produced by Johan Gustafsson (the bassist from Randy, who also had a hand in the recording the latest albums from The Hives and the Sahara Hotnights), was something I really enjoyed. A lot of the songs, such as "Shoplift girl" and "Belly up", showed a lot of potential from this band. It's pretty good stuff to play in your Mopar-fueled Mustang while speeding down the street to. The balance between the guitar and bass complimented one another without overpowering each other. I found myself sinking into the guitar solos and trying to pinpoint what they reminded me of.
The only downside is that the lead singer's voice gets too warbly on the first track "Plastic angels" and the first minute or so of the last track "Hands Up!" He has a great voice that reminds me of the lead singer of The Cult but on those two tracks, he strains it too much and it loses its richness. The warbling spoils what is a good album overall. If you could just move past the first track, then you'll enjoy "First blood".
- Navy Keophan