Mustasch - Mustasch

Published September 11 2009

*=Staff's pick	Prelude Heresy Blasphemy* Mine Damn It's Dark* The Man, The Myth, The Wreck* The Audience Is Listening Desolate Deep In The Woods I'm Frustrated* Lonely Blackout Blues Tritonus

Genre	Heavy Metal/Stoner	Ralf Gyllenhammar	Vocals
Tracks	12	Ralf Gyllenhammar	Guitar
Runningtime	44 Min.	David Johannesson	Guitar
Label	Regain Records/Warner	Mats Johansson	Bass
Release	30 September 2009	Danne McKenzie	Drums
Country	Sweden	-	Keyboard
Similar artists	Black Label Society, Clutch

I have seen Mustasch live five times since the release of their definite break through album The Latest Version Of The Truth in 2007, so it is very much welcome with some new additions to the set. But after four fantastic albums and two even more fantastic EP:s, I had a strange feeling that it was time for an inevitable dip of inspiration. This self titled new start, with two new members (David Johannesson and Danne McKenzie) on board, is in safe Mustasch land, but still fails to reach the extreme quality of its predecessors.

Heresy Blasphemy is an okay opener, wasn't it for the fact that when the record is played through it is actually the most distinct track, which makes it a bit of a disappointment. It's a typical Mustasch song nevertheless, with Ralf Gyllenhammar's deepest scream ever as highlight. Mine is supposed to be the first single, but it is nothing near the monster hit Double Nature from the previous record. It is not even close to I Hunt Alone, Black City, Dogwash or any of the other hits. Mine simply lacks the riffs that make up the above-mentioned and feels more built on frustration than on hit feeling.

A glimpse of hope comes with Damn It's Dark, as a more melodic, yet very Mustasch smoking track., with the best chorus of the record. It continues promising with one of the heaviest contributions, The Man, The Myth, The Wreck. We can still recognise the classic Mustasch sound. So far, pretty good, but everything is crashing with The Audience Is Listening. Not because the simple tune itself so much as the cheesy lyrics. Artists who writes about being an artist has almost always reached a point where things are going in a circle rather than forward. The album will never really recover after that.

Desolate is a strange mix of doom, Metallica and Swedish folk music. It might grow after some time, who knows? I'm Frustrated lights up the dark and breaks the trend as a ballad with symphonic arrangements. The closing trio leaves me pretty untouched though. It's not a bad record at all, but Mustasch can only blame themselves for putting the bar high. I miss the usual couple of hits and live favourites, a few more monster riffs and some more lasting choruses. And I thought Ralf was going to be even angrier, as he promised he would be on this one…

Performance	Originality	Production	Vocals	Songwriting
6	6	6	6	5

Summary
5,5 chalices of 10 - David