WIG WAM – Never Say Die (2021)
“Never Say Die”. Yeah, never said that to classy melodic rock. After many years out of business Norway’s WIG WAM are reunited and the aptly titled “Never Say Die” will be released on Frontiers Music.
The new record showcases all the elements that helped the band develop the monster reputation they are known for: driving energy, fun and great musicianship.
For sure these experienced cats never forgot how to rock with the ‘catchy factor’ on, but this time WIG WAM adds a welcomed maturity to songwriting & arrangements, plus a crunchier, heavier edge to some songs.
The opening instrumental, ‘The Second Crusade’, cleverly catches us off guard, taking us briefly into the world of Blade Runner. Then the stomping, riff heavy title track, framed by a tuneful wail and a crunching hook takes us straight back into the here and now.
The picks are hard to choose. Contenders are many. Throughout the album, Trond Holter’s guitar bites and stings; Age Sten Nilsen’s vocals emote confidence and conviction. They combine particularly impressively on ‘Hypnotised’. One launching it with a spring loaded, needle-in-the-red riff, the other spraying barbed lyrics around like an Uzi on auto. That said, ‘Call Of The Wild’ is impossible to avoid. You will keep going back to it.
It’s a relentless powerhouse of hard rock immediacy, capturing all the raw energy vibe of their stage show. And still, throughout, they maintain an ever present air of detached cool, while cranking up the rhetoric and the guitars to deliver hulking melodic rock songs – sweetened by insanely effortless hooks – like ‘Shadows Of Eternity’ and ‘Dirty Little Sectets’.
When writing and recording songs like the poppy, soft centred ‘Silver Lining’ and the balladic ‘My Kaleidescope’, they ensure the warmth of the music gets just as much attention as the volcanic riffing and the punchy, pulsing rhythms.
Had Wig Wam been part of the First Wave of Glam Metal, then in comparison, you might well have branded the music of fellow travelers, Motley Crue and Poison as grimy and transgressive.
Wig Wam play it straight, walking a high wire between hard rock, melodic rock and metal, grabbing onto the best from all sides, getting the balance just right.
Welcome back guys. The world needs this fun n’ rocking stuff.
HIGHLY Recommended
1. The Second Crusade
2. Never Say Die
3. Hypnotized
4. Shadow Of Eternity
5. Kilimanjaro
6. Where Does It Hurt
7. My Kaleidoscope Ark
8. Dirty Little Secret
9. Call Of The Wild
10. Northbound
11. Hard Love
12. Silver Lining
Glam (Åge Sten Nilsen) – vocals
Teeny (Trond Holter) – guitars
Flash (Bernt Jansen) – bass
Sporty (Øystein Andersen) – drums
Pre Order:
www.amazon.com/Never-Say-Die-Wig-Wam/dp/B08M518BHK
