There’s just something about dirty Scandinavian rock ‘n’ roll. From forefathers HANOI ROCKS to BACKYARD BABIES to countless others, that Sunset Boulevard sound has been mangled and mutated by sheer force of will into something other – something independent of its heritage, created without the media hype engine so treasured and fickle here in the good ol’ US of A. Entering the ring now is ROKETS, with their third attempt at a knockout, Bad Choices.
‘Bad Choices’ gets down to bidness quick and (im)proper, and there’s something of CRANK COUNTY DAREDEVILS and LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS in the guitar tone and tempo, but vocalist Sami Mustonen almost sounds too pretty for the part. Music like this needs a complete surrender to its cause, and a band needs a frontman ready to go all IGGY POP or Tyla (THE DOGS D’AMOUR) at a moment’s notice, either holding things together or forcing them off the rails. I bet this guy’s really in his element in a more metal setting; he’s got pipes for days, but I’m just not kicked in the gut thus far.
‘Shackles Without Chains’ and ‘Overload’ hit the mark with a reliable one-two punch, recovering Bad Choices’ footing just in time for the uppercut of ‘Louisa’, and there’s almost a ZEKE energy here, Mustonen letting himself get kicked around by the Lyytinen/Bigler rhythm section as nature intended. The tempo drops a bit for ‘White Raven’, but ROKETS keeps the temperature at a steady heat, leading us into ‘Law & Order’. I’d been hoping to hear guitarists Sakke and Elias playing off each other more ala Slash/Izzy-era G ‘N’ R, and here it is, in all its unfettered glory.
There’s the slightest sense of early ‘80s JUDAS PRIEST in ‘Diamonds And Dust’, but it slips into its spot here as the penultimate track nicely, just before ‘Lights Out’ does just what it says, delivering the final and indisputable K.O. this fivesome has been fighting for throughout the record.
Sometimes it’s alright to make Bad Choices, and it’s a good thing ROKETS did.
Review By: Lord Randall
ROKETS
Bad Choices
Svart Records