Published on Jul 29, 1999
The one inherent danger of hard rock / heavy metal’s comeback as
we approach the new millenium is that bands, old and new, will make
the same mistakes that caused the genre to stagnate starting in the
’80s. There are some groups I remember (and will have the courtesy
not to name) whose big guitar sound comprised of a bleating whine
in between verses, something that quickly grew annoying.
Listening to
Shaken, Not Stirred from Danish hard rockers Push reminds me
of a poor man’s White Lion, only without as many catchy hooks. This
four-piece isn’t terrible, but they don’t do anything that stands
out as being special. And – you guessed it – they use that damned
“whine” of a guitar lick far too often. If you’ve ever heard it,
I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
The band – vocalist/guitarist Martie Peters, bassist Kasper
Sogreen, guitarist Martin Slott and drummer Morten Plenge – seem to
have their hearts in the right place; I happened to like the way
they often built their songs up from acoustic guitar to a full
band. But the problem with the band is that they, for the most
part, are still living in the late ’80s musically. I didn’t hear
much new ground being broken, just old ideas and sounds being
re-hashed for 1999.
If you, like me, listened to a lot of hard rock in the ’80s, one
listen to
Shaken, Not Stirred and you’ll find yourself saying, “I’ve
heard this before.” Tracks like “Never Again,” “Almost
Pornographic” (relax, Tipper Gore, it’s a mild song) and the title
track all sound like old ideas being dusted off and pumped through
brand new Marshall stacks. It’s okay to listen to, but not
something I’d want to make a regular part of my musical diet.
All of that said, there are a few times that Push gets it right.
Tracks like “The Only One,” “Casanova” and “Those Were The Days”
all stand out as being exceptional, proving that even an old sound
can learn new tricks. Still, it’s kind of disappointing that the
best moments on the album are hidden at the end.
Shaken, Not Stirred is an album that will probably not set
the world on fire, but it should provide at least a smile and
memories of days past for the older rockers who remember metal’s
glory days. Push have the retro sound down, but if they’re going to
become anything special, they really need to work on developing
their own sound and style.