Wig Wam - Never Say Die
The Norwegians of Wig Wam are reunited again and that's good. They return in 2021 with this album titled Never Say Die (same name as a Black Sabbath album). In recent years we have seen the members of the band scatter here and there but they are together again for our greatest pleasure.
After Crusade, an instrumental which serves as an introduction to the record, we tackle serious things with Never Say Die on heavy guitars and an Åge Sten Nilsen in great vocal shape. Wig Wam has thickened its metal glam, the chorus is irresistible and melodic. The production is clear, powerful with the right amount of manhood and strength. Then, here's Hypnotized and his riff sharp as a viking sword. The chorus is once again incredible and Trond Holter's solo straight out of the haze of the North Seas.
Shadows of Eternity is lively, dynamic and incredibly effective. The backing vocals perfectly accompany the voice of Åge Sten Nilsen. A hymn for concerts, when they can finally resume. Change with mid tempo and bluesy Kilimanjaro, a kind of electric country tinged with beer and Nordic parties. Pure melodic rock, very pleasant.
But everything starts again in a frenzied cavalcade with Where Does It Hurt with an intrepid rhythm, heavy guitars and heavy rhythm like the gates of Hell. Our feet slam the ground and our heads move valiantly. And here is the ballad. Because we rockers also love ballads. We also have little hearts beating inside our hard rockers breastplates. My Kaleidoscope Ark is a subtle ballad where the keyboards share the sound with the guitars and the powerful voice of the Norwegian singer.
We leave the ballad behind us to return to a powerful Dirty Little Secret, sometimes melodic sometimes very rock. Wig Wam has the art of healing its refrains. And the chorus of this Dirty Little Secret is as solid as a medieval castle. Add to that a concise and eloquent chorus and you have an almost perfect title. Call of The Wild is as wild as a landing of Vikings on an unknown land.
Northbound is an instrumental. A magnificent instrumental. Electric and acoustic guitars, a hypnotic bass. Trond Holter proves if needed that he is a brilliant rhythm guitarist and soloist. Hard Love can be reminiscent of the Whitesnake of recent years. Hard rock, bluesy and a high pitched voice that rips the walls of guitars.
Silver Lining is a long composition. Rich, complex, sometimes flamboyant and always majestic. As the minutes go by, it grows in intensity, until this sparkling solo at the end of the piece. Epic.
In the end, a superb album which undoubtedly marks this metallic start to the year. An album that will certainly end up in the ten best rock albums of this year 2021. A word of advice, quietly listen to this sumptuous Silver Lining with headphones.
Tracklist:
The Second Crusade (Intro, Instrumental)
Never Say Die
Hypnotized
Shadows Of Eternity
Kilimanjaro
Where Does It Hurt
My Kaleidoscope Ark
Dirty Little Secret
Call Of The Wild
Northbound (Instrumental)
Hard Love
Silver Lining
Line-up:
Glam (Åge Sten Nilsen) - vocals
Teeny (Trond Holter) - guitars
Flash (Bernt Jansen) - bass
Sporty (Øystein Andersen) - drums
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Crafton on The Bookends
Wonderful article and so well written, we thank you dearly!
halka on Tearing Down The Walls (2014)
Awesome review of an awesome album. Thanks! :-)
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