Audrey Horne are an interesting band. With illustrious connections in the sphere of more extreme metal, this hard rock band from Bergen in Norway specialise in original and interesting songs. Thus was my experience of one live performance and the “No Hay Banda” (2005) album, which I own and is noteworthy for its magnetism and unusual themes on songs like “Get a Rope”, “Candy Store” and “Confessions and Alcohol”, which are all presented in an interesting way. I didn’t take so readily to their following intermediate albums so much. Now they’re back again with another collection of songs in “Youngblood”.
This is very much meat-and-two-veg rock music. “Straight into Your Grave” has a traditional song structure with a re-emerging chorus. Americanised in style, it has the pluses of being fast, melodic and toe-tappingly engaging. The title track which follows it is just bland and dreary. ZZ Top and Robert Plant come to mind as “There Goes a Lady” then embarks upon its steady rockiness. The album continues in its pedestrian way with “Show ad Tell”, whose classic transatlantic riff is topped by a guitar solo. I was clutching at straws looking for rare highlights. I don’t know where the originality of “No Hay Banda” went to over the intervening years. To be fair “Cars with the Devil” was a bit more lively and had a decent bass guitar and keyboard line, but all in all this album fails to break loose. “This is the end of the day” goes the chorus line of “The King is Dead”. The day I shared was mostly grey, one without any gloss or icing.
In spite of its colourful sleeve artwork, “Youngblood” is one of the most anaemic albums I’ve heard in a while. I guess it appeals to the rock star instincts of Audrey Horne’s band members but it didn’t appeal to mine.
(4.5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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