We have a power trio from Gothenburg, Sweden named SOUND DELIVERY that are releasing their first album called Sound Delivery. The band did not only save on the album name but also on the recording as this album was made in 3 days. Basically a jam, and that sounds appealing to me. We start with the riffy “Cry Wolf” and I like what I’m hearing. Basic Heavy Rock with a lot of energy and melody. It reminds me a little of IRON MAIDEN and this track has a nice slower tempo arrangement with a tasty guitar solo.
The energy keeps up with “How Long?” that also has a nice backing vocal. The band is creative in their musical arrangements and has a total late 70’s and early 80’s vibes, especially on this track. We follow with “Just Like Fire” that has a more pop vibe like a BRIAN ADAMS song. Still Rock, but in the more commercial sense of the word. The singer, guitar player and keyboardist Jack L. Stroem has a powerful voice and can reach crazy high notes. He is also a competent guitar player and riff creator. The band explores different styles as you can hear in the somber and somewhat romantic “Live, Love, Laugh”. Nice melody and chorus and that little dose of suffering.
We reached halfway with the good “More” that gave me total GLEN HUGHES vibes in whatever band he is nowadays. The songs are varied and innovative in their approach. No song is like the other and this is a breeze of fresh air. However, not every song is great. “Cold Heart” is campy as fuck and it did not worked for me. Weak riff and annoying chorus. This should have been left out of this good album. We get back to the good Hard Rock with “Voices From the Sky” that shows that the band also drank from the WHITESNAKE fountain with a soft Rock approach and memorable chorus again. Great guitar solo on this one as well. The recording of this album is quite good for 3 days only. However, you can hear all the parts that could be polished a little more especially when you have only 3 guys in the band and you have to manage to fill all the musical spaces.
The next one “Constrained”, starts with a good drum beat from drummer Johan Åberg , and enters into a more pop approach despite the interesting delivery. The song's structure in its majority is quite good with mood and tempo changes showing that we are dealing with well seasoned musicians. We hear a great bass introduction on “It’s Dark Down Below” that for me is surely the best of the album. Killer riff and crazy tempos in addition to a very cool vocal melody on the top. Impressive for a first album and this should be the “working”song in my opinion. They slow the mood little by little with a sweet guitar solo until it ends. Wait, it does not end! The precise bass of Waldemar Skoglund is back with the killer riff and the song ends on a high. Cool track and I should be downloading this one. It has vibes of Manic Depression from JIMMY HENDRIX. As a power trio, I have also to point out that the bass is a joy to listen to in this album with creative bass lines shining away from the guitar riffs. Well done!
We end our journey with the also good and heavy “Life Ain’t Always Fair”, however, not as good as the previous one. This one sounded more like California Hard Rock from the 80’s. Impressive work from the Swedish gang for a first album. That is it gentleman. All the ingredients are there and the first plate is tasty. Now you need to get the production a little better and the recordings a little longer to cook the songs for the next album.
6 / 10
Had Potential
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Sound Delivery " Track-listing:
1.Cry Wolf
2.How Long?
3. Just Like Fire
4.Live, Love, Laugh
5.More
6.Cold Heart
7.Voices From the Sky
8.Constrained
9.It’s Dark Down Below
10.Life Ain’t Always Fair
Sound Delivery Lineup:
Jack L. Stroem - Lead Vocals, Guitars & Synthesizer
Waldemar Skoglund- Bass
Johan Åberg- Drums
More results...