Hardcore Superstar - Dreamin' In A Casket (CD)

Share this on Facebook | Share this on Twitter

…and - funny, isn't it? - many people just label the band/album as 'glam' and that's it. OK, my mom places all my collection under the 'noise' umbrella but that does not mean that KISS equals to SLAYER. That's the case for HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, in exact. You see 'em as 'glam/sleaze boys'? You lose. Else, step in to verify some music can be heard at maximum level while your heart beats scroll up to unlimited excitement.
With a Sweden-only release of their It's Only Rock 'n' Roll first album (1998) - later to attract the Music For Nations label for an extended contract and re-released as Bad Sneakers And A Pina Colada (the video for the Liberation track was nominated for a Swedish Grammy that year), it was Thank You (For Letting Us Be Ourselves) in 2001 and No Regrets (2003) that start the fire for this Gothenburg, Sweden hairspray(?) quartet. Good sales, 'brand' recognition and…silence. I can recall health problems justifying such a break in 2004 but as soon as 2005's Wild Boys CD single reached #11 in the Swedish Charts it was obvious the hellfire circus was back for good. Hardcore Superstar (featuring Wild Boys) did present a dozen of dynamic tracks, full of philth, melody, aggression, metallic playing, punk attitude and shocking production. All these, two years ago…
The fuzz these dirty 'metallic' rockers make carries on in 2007. The Bastards CD single tops every Swedish chart (last summer) but - weird enough - is not featured in Dreamin' In A Casket. Which leads us to the album itself: OK, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR has already landed in gold Swedish carpet, but what about the rest of the world? Once again, the production is awesome! You think you're listening to SLAYER's new album and it's Need No Company on fire. The band plays at full volume, the guitars are cranking (with lots of new-but-not-Nu Metal riffs and limited excitement in soloing - not a case to relay on this one…) while Jocke Berg's vocals are efficient, flirting one time with the Phil Lewis (L.A. GUNS) melodies, the next time to endeavor (and score) philthy 'sleazy' Rock arrangements in complete energy. For the rhythm section you need no extra data: Metal pounding, mid-tempo Thrash pounding, Hardcore pounding.
The atmosphere in Dreamin' In A Casket is obvious: bearing in mind the production, the songs, the playing, the vocals, the \[whatever], HARDCORE SUPERSTAR has developed their strategy to something more commercial. Hence, raw sounds is not a fact, something that may act as irritating for old-fashioned vagabonds. In addition, some of the melodic lines in the guitar leads are way too predictable (in terms of tugging 'mainstream' strings) but in no way does any of this comments alter the value of Dreamin' In A Casket.
Need No Company, Medicate Me and the same-titled cut - all in a row - will blow your brains out. Form that point and onwards, things/songs keep the same level but nothing different will you find to struggle against these three first tunes. In other words: it is difficult to separate a pure 'hit' outta the album; a hit that will automatically 'upgrade' the CD's commercial/marketing value. Else. Dreamin' In A Casket is an excellent release for pure dynamic from-Sleaze-Rock-to-Thrash/HC lovers' fun.
Hey, if I wanna compare it to Hardcore Superstar predecessor I'd choose the 2005 release, but I don't want to since this comparison would omit enough of Dreamin' In A Casket's excellence. And - listening again to the dynamics of Wake Up Dead In A Garbagecan - let's not re-write this review in a pure 'fan' way.