It has been seven years since Sweden's Catapult The Smoke, Magnus Linhardt (bass); Tobias Larsson (vocals/drums) and Totte Martini (guitar),.graced us with an album which would seem rather a long period of time for most bands but not for Catapult The Smoke because, if the information on the bands Bandcamp page can be believed, there has been a six to seven year gap between each of the bands releases. Catapult The Smoke might not be the most prolific of bands but when they deliver THEY DELIVER and what they deliver with their latest album "A Whole New World" is a mind-blowing collection of metallic stonerized heavy rock worth every second, minute, hour, day, month and year we've had to wait for its arrival.
Opening number "Give Me More" is introduced with a short passage of palm muted guitar that is soon followed by the whole band slamming into a groove driven hard by low grizzled bass and solid tight drumming that is then decorated in caustic crunchy guitar riffage and swirly solos and motifs. However good the music is, and it's very very good, it is Larsson's vocals that are the clincher here, his throaty slightly raw tones possessing a lived in soulful weariness that gives true gravitas and authenticity to all that he sings. Next song "Fight Or Leave me Alone" sees Linhardt's bass and Larsson's drums anchoring down a jerky stoner(ish) metallic groove over which Martini layers guitar work that is constantly shifting between laid back and full in your face, Larsson doubling up his drum duties here with a vocal that is a mix of raw soulful bluesiness and aggressive southern rock grittiness. Third song "Going Back To The World" may boast thunderous drumming and a superbly executed vocal melody from Larsson, it may be anchored down by low growling and impressively bouncy bass work from Linhardt but for Desert Psychlist it is Martini's guitar work that takes the prize here, he rips out twisted motifs and searing solos like a man possessed but it is the way he combines those solos and motifs with crunching and spluttering rhythm work that takes this song to its next level. "Fire's Out" is heavy rock the way we all love it furious fiery and played with real conviction, a real stand out moment on an album full of such moments Those not already familiar with Catapult The Smoke will probably be coming to the realisation that although tagged as stoner rock this band are probably more a heavy/hard rock outfit, albeit heavy and hard rock spliced with a modicum of classic rock and southern metal, and that does not come over any more obvious than on title track "A Whole New World" where chugging and distorted refrains share space with bluesy, but still gritty, vocals and tastefully delivered lead work, fans of Australian heavy rockers Electric Mary will find much to their taste here. The following three tracks "Hold On" with its great vocal melody and fractured bass and guitar groove, the metallic and bluesy "Through Their Eyes" and the spiralling and atmospheric instrumental "Heaven Or Hell" are all killer no filler but the best is saved for last with the far too short but face-melting "Faster Stronger Deeper Harder", a song that finds Catapult The Smoke adding an element of vocal sludginess to their sound but balancing it out with a groove that has a rolling hard rock feel, a fitting and furious finale.
It is probably fair to say that Catapult The Smoke are not the most high profile of Sweden's underground rock bands, they certainly cannot claim to be as as internationally well known as say Graveyard, Truckfighters, Kamchatka or Witchcraft, but they deserve to be. The band may have only a handful of albums to their name but for those of us who love gritty heavy rock with a hard crisp metallic edge each of those albums is worth its weight in gold and "A Whole New World" is no exception.
Check it out ...
#exclusive to Bandcamp at the time of writing, available for streaming on all the usual platforms in October 2024
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