HARDCORE CIRCUS is a new Hard Rock / Heavy Metal band from Sweden. This supergroup has four incredible musicians that made an incredible debut album.

Even though the word hardcore remains in the band's name, there is nothing hardcore about these guys as they play Rock N' Roll and they play it with excellence. This debut album is just what you would expect from a Glam Metal / Hard Rock bands like MOTLEY CRUE or even GUNS N' ROSES. Instead, the music comes from a bunch of guys that even though they are hailed as a super group, it is probable that many of you that are not familiar with the melodic Metal scene will not know them and it is too bad because they can really play.

Sweden has been known in the last ten or so years to have great Hard Rock acts such as THE POODLES and CRASHDIET for example. But HARDCORE CIRCUS is something new and quite refreshing.

Straight up from the first song, "She Goes Down", Bolmstad and the guys took me into a journey back to the Hollywood Boulevard, that once offered thesleaze and glam style yet with the groove and power of the modernized Hard Rock. That is the first thing I liked about this band. They do amazing Hard Rock but with a modern twist that actually fitted perfectly with the sound and feel of the band and the material. Another thing is that even though the band is Swedish, they sound very much American and have even a little of a southern feel on some of the songs like as "Life"that sounds like a mix of BLACK LABEL SOCIETYand BON JOVI. It may sound strange and weird to you, yet, it sounded awesome. Another song that has an interesting twist and mix is "Miracle"that is the power ballad of the record. It is a really cool song , not to cheesy and has an incredible chorus.

Production wise, the handling was top-notch, every single instrument on the album sounded amazing. The rhythm section - Joakim Bloohm(drums) and Nalley Pahlsson (bass) sound really tight and Nalley knew exactly how and what to play and had a great connection with the drums and the guitars. Carl-Johan Grimmark, that you may heard him shred with ROB ROCK, left the Neo-Classical shred aside and took the role of the Guitar god on this record and just made a hell of a job as well sounding like a mix of ZAKK WYLDE, GUS G. and SLASH all together in one person. Jorgen Bolmstad's vocals were amazing and the harmonies will make you realize how important the backing vocals in Rock N ' Roll are.

In conclusion, this is an amazing debut album, and it's an amazing Hard Rock album in particular, but I don't think it's an album that will pass the test of time and eventually become a classic. However, this is something we'll have to wait and see. Also, it will be cool if this band will get some air time and maybe a video on MTV or something like that because it's about time for Hard rock to rule the music business once again. Lately it seems that the Swedish bands are amped to do just the thing.