THE SOUL INVADERS (A Kiss So Sweet) LP/CD
THE SOUL INVADERS hail from Hagen, Germany and this, their second album, is again a magic mixture of Rock 'n' Roll, 70's Punk and 60's Garage Rock. The band's own description is 'Raw Power Rock' and I like that, because nothing comes closer to their ripping sound like this three words. Again, they released the album on their own label Ektoplasma and in opposite to the CD (which also looks very good and includes a 12-page booklet) the vinyl edition is wrapped up in a complete different artwork. Well, it's nothing new that THE SOUL INVADERS put not only a lot of work into their songs, but also in the packaging. They still know how to push Rock 'n' Roll into intense outbursts of passion what makes them more interesting than most of the all those average bands, who think of themselves that they are punk as fuck, but will never reach the attitude and authenticity of this band. The four guys of THE SOUL INVADERS are veterans of the scene, and they don't care about all the hipsters and their commercial rules. Nobody here looks like Mike Ness, and you won't find any flames, eight-balls, greased hair or shit like that what became so popular and boring over the last years.
Well, I still ask myself what all this has to do with Punk, but this shouldn't be analysed in this review. 'A Kiss So Sweet' contains of nine adrenaline-drenched tracks, and in comparison to their debut record 'Weight of the World', this album is more homogeneous. This is also the first full-length where new drummer Asi can show his talent. He's doing a good job, but here he's definitely not the master of variety, although he can do much better. The expressive vocal style of Kaktus is charismatic as ever, and I can't imagine that anybody else could sing for THE SOUL INVADERS. Hedl's mighty bass is more upfront in the mix, and fills every hole in the sound, while guitarist Stachel has more to offer than the typical three-chord formula. The soul that's poured out on this LP will melt your heart. The album impresses with its untamed explosive energy and with irresistable hooklines, and for the first time the group have managed to capture their full blast live sound in the studio. This is raw and pure unbridled Rock 'n' Roll and not some artsy drivel to drag out once in awhile, and just hearing this stuff makes me glad that THE SOUL INVADERS are alive and in best shape. A band like this needs more than mere words to convey their splendour, which basically means that you should buy this!
(KK)
www.soul-invaders.de