Amulet

Talk about flying under the radar. These guys from Norway have been around since 1993 but are virtually unknown here in the States. I found out about them when they opened for Turbonegro on the western leg of their US tour last year and was blown away by their energy on stage and brilliant songwriting.

A brief description of their sound on this album would be a cross between Gorilla Biscuits and Turbonegro. That is to say a bit of old school melodic hardcore mixed in with rock n roll hooks. The majority of the songs are fast paced rock beats with some double-time punk tossed around here and there. It was produced by Euroboy from Turbonegro, so much of the guitar tone is punchy and warm, similar to Turbonegro's "Apocalypse Dudes". Many of the songs have brief but intense guitar solos, which I find to be a welcome addition to the mix.

Other than their knack for great songwriting, the thing that really drew me into this band was the delivery from vocalist Torgny Amdam. He can spit his lyrics with aggression and anger but has the range and control for killer melodies. The one person who came to mind with a similar style is Zoli from Ignite. To help thicken up the choruses, the band backs him up with some whoas and shout-outs to give a touch of an old-school feel.

This album might be a little difficult to find most places, since it unfortnately hasn't been released outside of Europe. I did a check on Amazon.com and I didnt find anything under the name Amulet except some obscure hard rock band from the 70's with the same name. Hopefully these guys will get some sort of distribution deal for America and follow it up with a tour. This band gives a welcome relief from the plethora of eyeliner and screamo nonsense clogging up our clubs nowadays.

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