PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
Having retired to the Doghouse (so to speak) for over ten years. Swedish rockers Mats Leven (vocals) and Martin Kronlund (guitar) have resurrected Dogface with new members Mikael Carlsson on bass guitar and Perra Johansson on drums. Dogface last released albums Unleashed in 2000 and In Control back in 2002. November 2013 saw the release of Back on the Streets on Metalhaven records.
I usually like bands with Dog in their title like Slaughter and the ____ or ____ D’Amour and had high hopes for Dogface. Having listened to the album once in readiness to review I had no desire to listen to it again but I had a review to do. I can’t fault the production, the singing, the riffs, the rhythm, the lyrics or the use of keyboards but overall I found it tedious to listen to.
Footsteps on the Moon started well with a powerful Whoa but that was it, after about ten seconds the boredom set it and never really recovered. Can’t Face Tomorrow with the lyrics ‘I can’t face tomorrow’ ‘the future only brings heart attacks’ would make a good funeral song. Music to die for and death may be preferable! Maybe not, but it’s music to send you to sleep! Higher had me thinking of Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings but only because when they sang ‘I can take you higher’ I was expecting ‘higher than an eagle’ to follow! The Fall and Start a Fire had some great riffs and keyboards reminding me a little of The Doors, but then I find some of their songs tend to go on a bit too!
Back on the Streets the title track was the best Dogface track on the album. This one was a fast paced number with some fabulous riffs and an abrupt ending but it was the only Dogface track I wouldn’t mind listening to again. The highlight track has to be a cover of The Osmonds Crazy Horses. This was good but it’s a cover and much as it was a good cover if I suddenly felt the urge to listen to Crazy Horses then I would listen to the original. I looked up the definition of Dogface which is an enlisted man in the U.S. army, especially an infantryman in World War II and that’s how I felt, I signed up (enlisted) to review this. It’s got mixed reviews from other publications, some fantastic, some mediocre and some similar to this. If you like hard, fast metal or glam sleaze then it’s probably not for you but if you like softer rock you may like them. I’m unlikely to ever listen to Dogface again!
Track List:
1. Footsteps On The Moon
2. Can’t Face Tomorrow
3. Higher
4. The Fall
5. Back On The Streets
6. Fired
7. Get Up
8. Start A Fire
9. Crazy Horses
10. Freaking Out
Band Members: –
Mats Levén – Vocals
Martin Kronlund – Guitars
Mikael Carlsson – Bass
Perra Johansson – Drums
Guest Musicians:-
Dan Helgesson – Hammond Organ
Henrik Thomsen – Additional Bass
Imre Daun – Additional Drums
David Reece – Backing Vocals
- £10.59
