Strykenine: Strykenine I

Stockholm's Strykenine lunge forth with their long awaited debut record Strykenine I, packaged with a strong spell of Melodic Rock influenced by the likes of Def Leppard, Motley Crue and Sweden's own legends Europe.

Formed in 2015, Strykenine were born to give us that eighties feel musicality that really reminds many of the Hair/Hard Rock days and scene back when bands like Bon Jovi, Whitesnake and Poison were pumping out big records. When you have the bombastically anthemic tracks like the ruthlessly aggressive 'Once and For All' and the stupendously extravagant 'Fool For Love' combined with all the high spirited grit that feels like it is actually not true that this was born from this decade.

A real highlight for me and the best track on the album in my opinion, saintly drives forward the unified brilliance on the spectacular episode of 'Religion' that is cleverly smothered with some joyously Hard Rock elements and this delivers with such the ultimate punch that you will not even realise what has just hit you in the face.

Vocalist Jacob Petajaama reminds me of Joakim Olsson from the neighbouring Swedish Melodic Power Metal outfit Supreme Majesty and foremost he is like a dead ringer for him with pitch and tone that it is definitely a positive thing that gives this monumental offering a boost.

Furthermore, if you listen to entries like the soaring 'Hold on to You' and the Extreme funk sounding 'Toxic' that Nuno Bettencourt and Gary Cherone would be extremely proud of. All in all, if you are relatively aware of Supreme Majesty, you most definitely will see what I mean and Petajaama will give you goosebumps.

In the bulk of things, with no doubt this is a very dominant record from Strykenine and it is a very impressive effort to say the least. Like when you have built a stronghold of an album around you alongside the well packaged songs, for example numbers in the sense of the triumphant 'Alive', the catchy melody raging 'All About Us' and the Melodic Heavy Metal expressive pathways lodged on the coolly penned 'Falling Down' - then this is such a astounding debut with a band on some very fine form indeed who will with no shadow of a doubt continue to rise.

Track List:
1. Once and For All
2. All About Us
3. Toxic
4. Live and Die
5. Fool For Love
6. Religion
7. Falling Down
8. Hold on to You
9. Better Believe
10. All I Need
11. Alive

Added: September 7th 2021
Reviewer: James Mannion
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 688
Language: english

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