Retoxed is the Swedish hard rock band House of Shakira's fifth studio album and expands on the hallmarks of its predecessors, most notably First Class, blending catchy guitars with melodic vocal harmonies with excellent production values.
As with their earlier releases, the songs on Retoxed are varied, ranging from moving the piano ballad "Retox" to the hard-rocking uptempo cuts "Small Town," with its catchy refrains and multi-part vocal harmonies, and "No Faith," with its solid bass guitar foundation and searing guitar solo. Significanly heavier than the tracks the band has done prior, this one kind of recalls Dokken in the way the guitars assume such a vital role churning out wild riffs and smooth, melodically engaging solos. Vocalist Andreas Eklund sounds great on every tune, somewhat recalling Steve Perry at times. His singing on the acoustic-based "Red Alert," with wonderful backing harmonies on the chorus, is stunning. Likewise, on the moody album closer "Turkish Nights," he sounds fantastic shifting from the softer, quieter parts to the highly melodic choruses. Again, the solo on this song is very well composed and performed. One might expect the track is over once Eklund delivers the final part of the lyrics, but out of nowhere emerges a solo that slowly fades out before playing out for a good full minute. Great way to finish the album.
The production is stellar. It boasts both an updated sound but still keeps the songs surprisingly organic and easy to enjoy. That some of the album are slightly heavier than previous albums has also lent the tracks a nice touch. Fans of melodic Hard Rock would do well to check this and their earlier releases out.
Track Listing
- Retox
- Small Town
- No Faith
- Crazy But No Fool
- Life and Death
- Gabor Viper
- High Above
- Red Alert
- Bloodline
- Angel Dancer
- Turkish Nights
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