HOUSE OF SHAKIRA – Radiocarbon (2019)

HOUSE OF SHAKIRA’s ninth album ‘Radiocarbon’ comes some twenty two years after their debut. This means this lesser known band’s career has effectively been longer than some of the classic melodic rock/AOR acts of the 80s heyday. On the basis of ‘Radiocarbon’, they still love what they do… and if you’re a fan of big melodic riffs with a Swedish bent, chances are you will too.

‘Radiocarbon’ wastes no time in presenting the band’s crunchier side as ‘One Circumstance’ delivers a huge riff – one that captures their partly heavy but very melodic sound in a near flawless way. Tapping into more of an AOR slant, the chorus has some of the biggest harmony vocals ever, while the lead guitar work shows off a suitable amount of string bending brilliance. Frontman Andreas Novak’s lead vocal comes firmly, and his general presence and delivery are great throughout.
Filling three and a half minutes with sounds that come close to perfect 80s hard rock, this is a fine start, but once a nod to Van Halen appears just before the fade, there’s certainly a feeling that ‘Radiocarbon’ is also a fun album.

Opting for something a little faster, ‘Not Alone’ compliments some big drums with a classic riff. Taking a general approach that sounds like a Scandinavian Van Halen, there’s much to enjoy here. It’s another song that shows off lead guitarist Mats Hallstensson’s talents as he weaves tough riffs in and out of those dominating drums, before filling the instrumental break with some brilliant multi-layed sounds.
In a slightly different style, ‘Delusion’ is fine melodic metallic tune with a confident vocal wrapping itself around a finely crafted riff and ‘Sweet Revenge’ is a classic hard rocker where the guitarist in the band trade in a little of their usual melodic edge for something with a heavier chug. The heaviest edges are counterbalanced by a big chorus full of Europe and Def Leppard inspired arrangements.

Even better is the bizarrely named ‘Scavenger Lizard’, a throwback to classic hard rock where, as before, Novak is in good voice throughout. He actually sounds like he’s having fun on a track that mixes a few HoS traits with a smidgeon of early Roxy Blue and a very cheeky melody.
‘Like A Fool’ mixes a few guitar riffs with some pumping bass work (courtesy of Per Schelander), before dropping a chorus that isn’t afraid to throw something a little poppier into the mix. It’s a brilliant melodic rocker.

All of those tracks would make this album a great addition to your collections, but ‘Radiocarbon’ has a pair of even better numbers up its sleeve.
The title track is an instant highlight. Not just in that it presents the band in their most melodic guise on an arrangement that’s absolutely loaded with big hooks and even bigger harmonies, but also in the way it totally celebrates a melodic rock past. The track totally outdoes itself by cheekily borrowing lyrics from Def Leppard, Journey and others without even attempting to disguise that fact, making it very much a tongue in cheek affair. If you love the style, you’ll love this – and with the band not taking themselves entirely seriously, this should raise a wry smile.

A track more geared towards the melodic metal fan, ‘A Tyrant’s Tale’ is another standout as the band tap into a melodic but heavy hitter with an eastern flavour. Traces of Rainbow‘s ‘Stargazer’ rub shoulders with a few of the more theatrical bits of the Jorn back cat, and while it’s not especially anything new, HoS play through with grit and conviction.

With so many albums already under their collective belt, you’d sort of expect House Of Shakira to sound a little tired, or perhaps going through the motions by this point.
Quite the opposite applies; on ‘Radiocarbon’, these guys show no signs of weakness – or even any tendencies of “phoning it in”. This is a really fun album for fans and first time listeners alike. There’s more energy within these eleven tracks (or ten songs and an intro) than so many of their peers would muster in approximately four times as much material.
With big melodies, bigger hooks, some fine playing and a more than a dash of Swedish brilliance, ‘Radiocarbon’ almost has it all. For fans of the style, this is one not to be missed.
HIGHLY Recommended

01 – Herd Instinct
02 – One Circumstance
03 – Not Alone
04 – Radiocarbon
05 – A Tyrant’s Tale
06 – Delusion
07 – Save Yourself
08 – Sweet Revenge
09 – Scavenger Lizard
10 – Like a Fool
11 – Falling Down

Andreas Novak – Lead and Backing vocals, Handclaps
Mats Hallstensson – Lead Guitar, Backing vocals, E-bow
Anders Lundström – Guitar
Per Schelander – Bass, Backing vocals, Percussion
Martin Larsson – Drums

Pre Order:
www.amazon.co.uk/Radiocarbon-House-Shakira/dp/B07VJWY5XL