Black House Hill
Album Review - Fame and Misfortune
On the west coast of Swedish, north of Gothenburg, is the port city of Uddevalla. It’s a working class city of about 35,000 that has had its share of hard times over its 500 year history. This is the home of Black House Hill, an impressive hard rock quartet that has released over 30 tracks since their start in 2015. “Fame & Misfortune” is their third album, and by far their best work to date.
This entire 10 song project is well mixed, well played and well produced. What’s most impressive is their ability to create parts in every song that are great crowd hooks. Everything on this record fits perfectly in the genre. No parts get in the way - this is a great, riff based rock record that is loaded with arena shouting anthems and vibes. Too much metal is just fast downstrokes, compressed drums and boring melodies - that’s not what this is. This is part Metallica, part GNR, part Lemmy, as well as some of the stronger, more positive vibes of the 80’s hair scene. There’s also some tenderness and vulnerability in the lyrics that often gets overlooked in this genre. Just because it hits heavy doesn’t mean it can’t have compassion. Here’s our track by track review:
Down to the River - Great way to start the record with this uptempo jam. The bass lines remind us of Jason Newsted’s tone. There’s a really nice break after the second verse and a killer shout feel on the choruses.
I Don’t Want It - Any song that starts with 4 hat hits always makes our ears perk up! Nice double kick pattern, great lower riff over the chord progression - nice ambient feel on the clean guitars. Just like the first track, I can see the crowd singing along. Nice way to increase the intensity in the second verse. Love how the kick pattern accentuates the chorus, and that solo is killer!
SAVIOUR - Oooohhhh, that riff reminds me of early Whitesnake, dig it, so heavy! Nice breakdown in the middle. The keyboards are a nice touch - not overstated. This is a great example of how they’ve studied their genre, they’re hitting all the right accents.
Only One / Chaos Tonight - Again, great riffs and a solo that features a few nice subtle changes to the given chord structure. The message here is a highlight too - it shows their softer side. This is a double song with a nice transition in the middle - a real solid headbanger. This is a great crowd shouter - one that would easily go over well in arena’s.
Drag Me Down - Nice ballad, and every record needs one. This really allows the audience to hear the unique characteristics of Erik’s voice. He’s got killer rock chops, for sure, this shows he’s got some depth, too. The organ in the chorus is a nice touch and the delay part utilized to set up the bridge and solo is very smart - nice diversity. Once again, this band is doing a great job of creating parts that an audience can sing along to. Good Alice in Chains vibe on this.
She’s My Cocaine - Heaviest tune so far, and once again a great crowd friendly chorus. Scorching riffs like Satriani, great picking bass part, great accents, good Lord this is a beast! I’d love to see this one live.
Riding with the Wind - Solid pop-rocker, very radio friendly with a lyrically tender side that has a really nice exit from the choruses. They should pitch this track for some sync opportunities - it would be great on a soundtrack. Another beautiful solo. (We chuckled about the placement of this track, right after “She’s My Cocaine,” two totally different crowd vibes and messages.)
Look Away - Another great riff track - reminds me of the best of 80’s metal - not the hair crap, mind you. There were some great projects that had nothing to do with glam, just solid song structure with blazing riffs. Great transition to the outro section - very cool.
Trial and Error - An absolute barn burning riff to open this one, and a damn good study of the best themes and cadences used in this genre are employed throughout the entire track. Great metal and rock has a lot of undercurrents in heavy classical - sweeping melodies and massive moods. So much metal can be covered by a symphony with the same effectiveness, and this certainly could. Another great thing about this track is the complexity of all the sections together - it’s not typical - it keeps the listener on their toes.
The World - A great positive anthem to round out the record. As soon as the crowd hears the initial build up, they’ll all be singing along.
Sweden doesn’t get enough recognition for its musical work outside of the great pop it’s produced over the years. Truth be told, it’s got a great jazz scene, and a great rock scene. These guys are an example of that. We wish them well with this project and look forward to what they’ll be doing next!
Check it out now!