Grande Rock
Ever heard a catchy chorus and thought, "I wish I'd written that"? It's certainly not as easy as it sometimes appears to be, yet for Swedish rock'n'rollers Grand Rezerva it seems to be something of a natural talent.
Taking the blues-driven sleaze of Velvet Revolver and carving catchy choruses that can only have been lifted from the Kiss school of rock'n'roll, Grand Rezerva are definitely on to something good here. Frontman Mike Svensson's voice loosely resembles Ozzy's, except in 2013, Mike can fortunately stay in tune for more than thirty seconds. She Runaway is an upbeat blues rocker with a slightly flaccid riff that leans toward pub rock mediocrity; yet it suddenly becomes apparent that Grand Rezerva are no one trick pony, with the sudden appearance of a fantastically whimsical chorus giving off a light-hearted vibe that turns the song completely on its head.
The rest of album is unadulterated Swedish rock'n'roll, with nods toward Scandinavia's modern greats (Backyard Babies, Gluecifer, The Hellacopters, Turbonegro et al.) at various points throughout. American Me and Bring Me The Thunder cement these comparisons, and all of a sudden they're playing the type of brilliantly catchy, poppy rock'n'roll that the big guns are so acclaimed for. With raucous classic rocker Crazy comes a heavy Kiss and GnR influence, but far be it for Grand Rezerva to churn out tired, mundane rock songs, they deliver another brilliant chorus and another album highlight.
Clearly possessing a talent for writing catchy melodies and choruses, Grand Rezerva's songwriting skills are what saves them from immediately becoming lost in the noise of trying-to-make-it rock bands. Songs such as Let's Ride and Shout It Out, initially coming across as weaker links on the album, end up becoming effortlessly infectious anthems, helped along by some creative bass playing, Kiss-style guitar melodies and solid drumming.
My Worst Fear slows things down; a swanky blues rocker with another big chorus and even bigger balls. Ending on another high note with The Guardian and a chorus that wouldn't sound out of place on either of Iron Maiden's first two albums, Grand Rezerva have pulled out all the stops on 48 Laws and produced an album with little to no filler material whatsoever.
Nothing particularly jumps out within their musical delivery or the album's production, but the songs that comprise 48 Laws are the proof in the pudding, and reinforce the fact that Grand Rezerva are bloody brilliant at what they do. This could well be the beginning of something very special indeed, if the band can continue their songwriting streak. They sow their influences on their sleeves with a lot more stitches than their peers perhaps might, but if sharpening their own identity is the only thing currently holding them back, I'll raise a glass right now to their successful future in the world of rock'n'roll.