SKANSKA MORD (The Last Supper) CD
Although this album has been released in January 2010, it is still worth writing some good words about it. If you love classic 1970's hardrock, 'The Last Supper' is the album for you. SKANSKA MORD has done a very fine job what certainly is because of the prehistory of the band members. Some of them were in Mothercake and the others in Half Man, where especially the latter one have already caused a stir among retro rock fans with their debut album 'Red Herring'. That was almost nine years ago, but this Swedish guys have not forgotten how to churn out finest 1970's hardrock of highest quality. 'The Last Supper' is the first full-length from SKANSKA MORD for Small Stone Records and leaves nothing to be desired. The whole album is consistently furious and each of the included ten tracks convinces with infectious hooklines. Not to mention, of course, the purely awesome technical skills involved in the playing. Best of all, I am not exaggerating.
What also strikes me about this album is the fantastic groove throughout that never at any point becomes tiresome. Too many times these type of bands simply re-hash repetitive riffing, but on this album Petter Englund's and Patrik Berlin's guitar playing is spot on. And even if this record is mainly influenced from the blues-driven hardrock of the early 1970's, SKANSKA MORD have not lost the connection to the present. That is partly due to the modern sounding production and partly due to the metal-tinged riffs that sometimes appear in a few tracks.
Despite all this, 'The Last Supper' is a heavy slab of unadulterated classic rock. 'Two In The Morning' is hard blues rock with additional harmonica, whereas '111' is moving towards funk without missing the heaviness of previous tunes. The title track is a slower paced 9:31 minutes epic which blends some quiet thoughful sections with some killer verses that blast out in style. Whenever the organ appears as for example in 'The Hermit', bands like Nick Simper's Warhorse, Deep Purple or Lucifer's Friend involuntarily come to mind. I could go on and on, but even a thousand words aren't enough to describe the magic of SKANSKA MORD. 'The Last Supper' is a feast for the ears and that's simply the truth.
(KK)