Hion Martell – Will Cure Any Disease
Originating in Sweden back in 1992, Hion Martell has evolved over the years (with the usual expected number of changes in personnel) into a respected Classic Rock band in their native country. Drawing on influences such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Rolling Stones, they have released several Cds over the years and "Will Cure Any Disease" is their latest.
Classic Rock has, as can be gleaned from the name, has been around for a while. That doesn't mean that it's easy or that it's boring. It can be as complicated as you want to make it and as fresh as a daisy. That's the problem. Many bands take on the Classic Rock mantle and just stick to the old, safe tried out formulae, not caring if they are breaking new ground; many not even breaking sweat.
Hion Martell are undoubtedly a bunch of fine musicians but their execution here leaves a lot to be desired. The opening short acapella 'Perfect Remedy' is a novel touch but doesn't really give an idea of what's to follow. What immediately follows is 'Built As A Boxer', which is a bluesy, Classic Rock track some effective twin guitar sounds.
Unfortunately, the cheesy, Status Quo sounding 'Fed Up' follows which includes lyrics about breakfast and some annoying affected vocals. The only saving grace is the tightness of the band. By contrast, the next track, 'Wasting Time', has a clean, metallic Classic Rock sound; this is a bit more like it!
Twin guitars feature again on '(Don't Cry) Mary Anne'. This is quite effective if you can look through the cheesy vocal delivery. The music itself isn't too bad but it's all very tame and predictable; catchy but very dated. The cheese continues with the cheesy vocals courting cheesy lyrics on 'Long Distance Love'; at this point it was all becoming a bit too much.
The wah wah and rocking intro to 'Any Disease' was promising. This had a nice feel up to the point that the inadequate vocals took over and led to it dying. The remainder of the tracks on the album included the easy light rock sound of 'Brand New Day' and the musically confused song 'In The Meadows'.
The best track on the album by far is '7 Devils' which is in total contrast to the strict, formulated, mechanized previous attempts. It's up beat, the wah wah guitar and vocals give the song more of an attitude and they sounded much better for it.
Ironically, the last track on the album is called 'B.D.M. (Beer Drinking Music)' which is a totally inappropriate name as it's a bad name for a song with bad lyrics and it just emphasized that I'd deserved one or two beers after listening to it.