Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Crucified Barbara
Label: Despotz Records
Release: 2014
Running time: 39:21
Rating: 4/5
Once it gets going, it goes full throttle! »Crucified Barbara«, an all-female four-piece from Stockholm, Sweden, who have been at it for a whopping sixteen years, are back on the scene with their new, fourth full-length. Their fourth, nine years after the predecessor »The Midnight Chase« came out. The last five years have been incredibly successful for Crucified Barbara. In that time they’ve stacked up three albums, and with a convincing swagger and a pile of ripped-up rock ‘n ‘roll anthems, they’ve finally won over even those parts of the critical crowd who had been a bit reserved about their female take on the magic of rock. Today Crucified Barbara are growing into the top tier of the planet’s “all-female” hard rock and rock ‘n’ roll bands. With a rock-solid character of invasive provocation that now comes across almost too direct in its message.
On »In the Red« Crucified Barbara pick up the musical story of its predecessor »The Midnight Chase«. It’s yet another document of total rock ‘n’ roll nonchalance, where, through an inherited “knocked-down” crunch (Crucified Barbara actually started out as a punk rock band), sparks fly from acts of pure debauchery, typically female provocation and nudges toward sinful deeds, like, of course, the “party time” of switching off. The scuffed-up, dirty rock ‘n’ roll sound rules on the new album too, with an eruptive, high-voltage cockiness. The Scandinavian philosophy of perfectionism dictates detailed polish on absolutely everything the Nordics take on in the music business. Whatever the genre. They package it all so skillfully and with so much heart that it’s hard to fault them for any artistic shortcomings. Even given that they’re repackaging well-worn, familiar musical figures with a whiff of cliché.
The heartfelt quartet, led by the raspy, arrogant and snarky vocals of singer/guitarist Mia, doesn’t deliver any musical originality, but rather what the girls know and do best. A bundle of eleven lively tracks. From beefy rock ‘n ‘roll earworms to flirty mid-tempo numbers where the predatory grip of the guitar lines never lets up, all of them generously backed by a polished delivery of great musical value, where the hooks in the choruses grab you instantly.
The band adds its signature charm with a hot-blooded, organic liveliness in the album’s sound, in the spirit of a live show captured in the studio. »In the Red« is a document of major maturing and self-assured attitude, which the girls earned by defying the odds and sticking it out on a scene that is otherwise fiercely competitive. They’ve got it all. The charisma of people who make big use of their alluring femininity, with which they carelessly, even arrogantly, provoke, and an excellent command of top-notch performance in everything they do. You can hear a huge improvement in the playing. Alongside an unbelievably flirty rhythmic march full of ominous slaps, the girls have matured the way they shape their transitions with added guitar ornaments and a wise sprinkling of short, tight, juicy guitar solos, while the biting, ruffled, screechy and raspy vocal of the potent Mia is the album’s main magnet!
It’s hard to pick out highlights on the album, since the songs are slammed one onto the other on one single frequency. In crushing rock rolling, hardly any female band on the planet comes close to them right now. The enthusiasm for the character and work of Motörhead remains present. With the new album »In the Red« Crucified Barbara cement their place on the rock map as one of the most exciting contemporary all-female rock ‘n’ roll bands on the planet, delivering the most mature songwriting of their career and a bundle of new potential live favorites.
Lineup
Mia Coldheart – vocals, guitar
Klara Force – guitar
Ida Evileye – bass guitar
Nicki Wicked – drums
Production
Chips Kiesbye
Track list
1. I Sell My Kids for Rock ‘N’ Roll
2. To Kill a Man
3. Electric Sky
4. The Ghost Inside
5. Don’t Call On Me
6. In the Red
7. Lunatic #1
8. Shadows
9. Finders Keepers
10. Do You Want Me
11. Follow the Stream
