Chuck Norris Experiment, The - Volume! Voltage! (Album)
The name caught my eye straight away and I was curious.
Was The Chuck Norris Experiment a side project of the brilliant kiwi dynamic duo, The Hasslehoff Experiment? I had to find out…
Well, no, they aren’t.
The self-proclaimed greatest band on the planet are, however, are a Swedish supergroup of sorts, consisting of members from Taurus, Rickshaw and Tiamat.
Hearts on sleeves and tongues in cheek, perhaps, Chuck Lee Riot (Rhythm Guitar), Chuck Mojo (Bass Guitar), Chuck Baker (Percussion), Chuck Ransom (Vocals), Chuck Rooster and Chuck Daniels (Lead Guitar) joined forces in 2004, as it seemed as good a way as any to cure the boredom between recordings & tours of their other projects. This was also after Rooster met the real Chuck Norris in an L.A. club and, in his excitement, told him he played in the yet to be group.
Hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden, CHUCK NORRIS EXPERIMENT list influences like New Bomb Turks, AC/DC, Sex Pistols & Motorhead and this is evident from the opening track on Volume! Voltage!
More so, you are quick to aurally identify with The Hellacopters, Gluecifer, The Hives and Turbonegro and that can only be good. This is unashamed Scandinavian rock with a tinge of metal here and a touch of punk there.
Personally, I find something immediately captivating about this northern European style of rock. I don’t know what it is, maybe the slight vocal accent, maybe the seriousness and on-stage personas that they all seem to portray but what ever it is, it gives them the ability to get away with things, musically speaking, that many would normally consider to border on the mundane.
Album opener, The Roof Is About To Cave In is a blunt and to the point arse shaking number drenched heavily in Hellacopters’ style riffage. Meteor Mama continues in a similar vein but substitute The Darkness (sans Hawkins falsetto) for The Hellacopters.
The riffage continues throughout with a cover of The Pagans’ Not Now, No Way and the ‘80s cock sureness of Bullshit City. You almost expect Adalita to open the vocals of Rock n Roll Suicide such is the familiarity of the chord progression.
You get the picture: this is pretty well all balls-to-the-wall rock n roll in that addictive Nordic way. You’ll pick all your fave Swedish bands in there as mentioned before then you’ll grab some Kiss, Crue and Darkness. A bit of cock, a bit of hair, a little glam, a hint of garage – it’s all good.
Standout tracks are the immensely satisfying The Roof Is About To Cave In, 158 and Speedfever but every track has enough barbs to get you in.
If you like The ‘copters through to Turbo just go and buy it.
If you like rock n roll: same deal.
Three cheers to Off The Hip for making these guys label mates.
And by the way, Chuck Taylor did the great graphics.
How very rock!
Double Devil Horns!
