TEMPLE BALLS, the energetic hard rock band from Finland is back with their fourth studio album “Avalanche”, released on November 11, 2023. Keeping busy in the studio and on the road opening for such bands as QUEEN, DEEP PURPLE, URIAH HEEP and SONATA ARCTICA, the band has proven to be more than capable of handling stages of any size, whether it be a big festival or your local club’s stage and according to the band’s press release “Live, this band will set your friggin’ pants on fire and turn you into a believer that delivers songs full of hooks, powerful rhythms, and anthemic rock ‘n roll like it was meant to be played.” With all the talk these days of about reforming Rock n’ Roll, TEMPLE BALLS says they’re not here to reform anything but rather rev the old engine so to speak with they’re tour de force of melodic hard rock. After their swing through Japan, the readers of the biggest Japanese rock magazine Burrn! voted them as “the second brightest hope,” and they were chosen as “The Newcomer of the Year” on Masa Ito’s Rock TV. If you’re all wondering how the band’s name originated, please feel free to Google it, much too detailed for me to explain it here cause I’m getting ready to get my pants set on friggin’ fire.

“All Night Long” opens up forcefully with clean and crisp melodic ambiance and a nice driving riff circled around the sleek vocals that effortlessly intertwine amongst the meaty and catchy chorus delivering a truly rocking way to start and keep me wanting more. The next three tracks “Trap”, “Lonely Stranger” and “Stand Up and Fight” all have a muscular, raw approach as the superb, fabulous vocals, great harmonizing and heavy, gritty guitar riffs interconnected with good solos all blend together reminiscent of the classic 80’s sound but still have enough oomph to keep it fresh and vivacious. I love when a band like TEMPLE BALLS can take the blueprint, run with it and put their own dynamic fingerprint on the sound but also not try to reinvent the wheel. “Strike Like a Cobra” is another energetic and highly anthemic number with a powerful main melody paired with nothing complex or complicated, hard-core riffs, nice guitar solo consistent with the tight, underlying balanced drum and bass backing. “Northern Lion” and “Dead Weight” both deliver the hardest and beefiest guitar work on the album with powerful grooves and fast paces kick-ass riffs keeping the retro, classic rock soundscape alive and well all brought to life by the enthusiastically engaging vocals that keep this rocking ride in the fast lane. Ending strong with the title track “Avalanche” with devouring hard-edged chops over simmering, bruising riffs powered home by lethal vocal delivery of sheer metal exotic pleasure.

TEMPLE BALLS, you owe me a new pair of pants because you set mine on friggin’ fire. Theres not too much more to say that I didn’t already state above, “Avalanche” is straight out of the 80’s hard rock playbook with a barrage of razor sharp, juicy riffs and melodies accompanied along the way by fabulous vocals and harmonies that we’ve all heard before but they encapsulate their own individual vibe, charisma and identity to create a high caliber and banging album.