Swedish Hard Rock stalwarts CRUZH are back with their new album "Tropical Thunder". It promises to be full of hard hitting feel good music and I for one am really looking forward to this. The artwork for the record is, for lack of a better term, bizarre. A tropical paradise, with storms looming in the background, appears to be mounted on top of a rather large jellyfish. I'm intrigued as to where this imagery was conceived, but I feel that could open a whole can of worms.

Opening is the titular "Tropical Thunder". Straight away, the high energy and pounding music hits straight through me and it just really sets the tone for the rest of the album. Running riffs and a powerful rhythm, what's not to love? "We Go Together" is a bit of a contrast, with the pace pulled back and a more laid back vibe, it just has this vibe that means it needs to be sang by a horde of fans all in unison, and that as well is as good a marker for a song as any to me. "Turn Back Time" and "Are Your Ready" stomp through with more solid displays of Hard Rock.

But if you want something straight out of left field, then look no further than "Cady". The ballad could have been plucked straight from the 80's and it's synonymous Hair Metal bands. In fact, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to hear something very reminisce of BON JOVI within this! "New York Nights" seems to be something of an ode to the big city lights, and you know what? It works, having been fortunate enough to visit a few times, I could see images of wandering the city during the evening (even if some of the memories were a bit blurry...).

"All You Need" and "Line In The Sand" are just more of the onslaught of Hard Rock that just keeps on flowing through my speakers and I am loving every second. "Moonshine Bayou" was everything that I had hoped it would be. It has that stereotypical sort of bounce to it that makes it nigh on impossible to sit still when listening to it and the chorus has that anthem feel to it that I just know will go down a treat with any crowd. Definitely my pick of the album. "Paralyzed" and "N.R.J.C" take the record out in a classy manner, a fitting end to a fantastic album.

Overall, I really enjoyed the album. It was everything that I wanted it to be and a little bit more. I really enjoy some Hard Rock from time to time. I'll admit that I can find it a little bit cheesy at times, but that is exactly what I want to hear on occasion and this delivers it perfectly.