JACK SLAMER is a rock band out of Switzerland releasing their sophomoric full length, self-titled effort under a brand new record deal! The band recently inked a world wide deal with Nuclear Blast, and are looking to make a splash in the hard rock world with their unique hard rock flavor. It's always fun to see Nuclear Blast branching out and signing different kinds of bands, they really know how to diversify! JACK SLAMER is a fun and energetic band that fits the bill.

On their self-titled album, JACK SLAMER is bringing a pretty typical old school 60s/70s/80s sounding hard rock vibe, which I am normally wary of in the modern day and age. Typically this style feels too worn out and overhead for the year and age we are in, but JACK SLAMER does manage to sidestep a lot of that. They bring a unique feeling to it characterized by their irreverent Swiss charm with the lyrics, overall presentation, and upbeat vibe of the music, and also with the AWESOME vocals.

I wish I could tell you the vocalists name, but I have only been able to find a published list of band members without instruments notated, and as of yet have not been able to correlate instrumental/vocal parts to names. Damn shame, especially since the vocals are such are defining part of their sound and really set them apart from other, weaker hard rock outfits in the modern age. I'd love to be able to name names and properly tip my hat! His vocal style coupled with the modern production and catchy songwriting are enough to prevent JACK SLAMER from feeling stale, despite being so old school. Hats off to them!!

Most of the songs on the album are the same kind of upbeat, 70s rock defined by quick tempos and thrashy rhythms. Really the only songs that don't quite fit this bill are "The Truth Is Not A Headline" which is more slow, droning, and chugging, "There's No Way Back" which slows WAY down and focuses more on drum fills and a jazzy feel which works really well and gives the album some nice variety, and closer "Secret Land" which focuses more on melody and guitar lead showmanship, which sounds really cool and is a great moody way to end the album. My favorite tracks were "The Shaman And The Wolves" which is an up tempo number with some of the best lead guitar licks, and vocals that reach soaring epic new heights. Probably the catchiest song on the album for me. Opener "Turn Down The Light" was also fun and fast paced, and "Entire Force" made me feel like getting up and running a marathon, classic pump you up song.  Also "There's No Way Back", which had the bluesiest feel of the entire album and really showed off what solid musicians these are, and their ability to express variety within this genre.

Overall, JACK SLAMER's sophomore effort is a fun, fast, and high energy hard rock thrill ride from start to finish! If you're looking for something that is new, but sounds classic, but doesn't resort to being stale and derivative, look no further. The guitar work and vocals are fantastic all the way through, and speak to the high potential JACK SLAMER has for the future. This is a great festival band if I ever heard one! I'm excited they're signed with such a great label like Nuclear Blast, and I look forward to what their future holds.