WILD WILLY’S GANG (feat. Bente Smaavik) – Don’t Back Down (2025) *HQ*

320_1 /// 320_2 /// HQ

“Wild” Willy Bendiksen is one of Norway’s best-known drummers who has a long Norwegian and international career behind him. It all began in the early Seventies when he started his first band. As member of cult hard rockers Road they released three albums in the ’80s, touring with big names from the rock n’ roll scene.
Then in 1990 Willy formed the band awesome melodic rock / AOR band Blonde On Blonde, which later changed its name to Perfect Crime. After that, he played in the Thin Lizzy tribute band Bad Habitz together with TNT’s Ronni Le Tekrø, and in The Snakes together with the original Whitesnake guitarists Bernie Marsden and Micky Moody.
Until 2013, “Wild” Willy Bendiksen was the drummer in the band Jorn (with Jørn Lande on vocals), where he was involved in seven studio and two live releases. Impressive career indeed.

But Willy also has his own band – WILD WILLY’S GANG has been around since 1993, with the line-up always changing, with Willy as the only permanent member. This has led to many different constellations where musicians such as Ronni Le Tekrø (TNT), John Norum (Europe) and Brian Robertson (Thin Lizzy) have all been regular members. The band released the album Camouflage in 2005.
Now WILD WILLY’S GANG is back with the new album titled “Don’t Back Down“, a wonderful slice of classic hard rock with a Scandinavian feeling. Le Tekrø is still involved in songwriting, howerver the winning card here, apart form the terrific songs, is excellent female vocalist Bente Smaavik. She was the lead-woman in Blonde On Blonde, and simply rocks here.
As happens with most Scandi / Norwegian classic hard rock records, production is excellent, clear, vibrant.

01 – Don’t Back Down (Bente Smaavik vocals)
02 – No Guts No Glory (Bente Smaavik vocals)
03 – Death Of Me (Chris Candy vocals)
04 – Goliath (Bente Smaavik vocals)
05 – I Am A Voice (Bente Smaavik vocals)
06 – Stranger In The Night (Chris Candy vocals)
07 – Break Out (Bente Smaavik vocals)
08 – A Mustard Seed Of Faith (Bente Smaavik vocals)

Drums – Wild Willy Bendiksen
Guitar – Tor Erik Myhre
Bass – Svein-Erik Bjørklund
Keyboards – Ola Aanje
Vocals – Bente Smaavik, Chris Candy

BUY
wildwillysgang.no/newalbum