Swedish hard rockers Bonafide are back with their eighth album. The band have been pretty big in the European touring scene in the last decade and a half since their inception, touring with the likes of The Quireboys, LA Guns and Y&T, playing some of the best clubs and theatres across Europe and the UK. And their steady stream of releases have always been solid and pretty great. So, let’s check this one out, and see if it’s similar!
The album’s title track opens on a steady bassline and some catchy, chanting/gang vocals. It all builds into a great, AC/DC style riff, instantly bringing the energy in a big way. The riff continues through the verse, the vocals fitting perfectly over the top. And it all leads to a catchy as anything chorus, one that would easily fill dive bars or stadiums around the world. A great, albeit simple, guitar solo ties the track together before the track factory resets and the infectiously catchy chorus takes us home. A great way to open the album!
Another great AC/DC-like riff opens ‘Hero to Zero’, though the pace and energy gives it more of an Airbourne feel. It’s giving off very similar vibes to ‘Thunderstruck’ or ‘Live it Up’. And, actually, ‘Kiss Tried to Kill Me’ by Black Spiders, too. All are great songs so that’s definitely a compliment! Both the pre and chorus are again hugely catchy, though the low backing vocals did give me slight Hercules vibes. Another great guitar solo fills the gap between the 2nd and 3rd chorus perfectly, and it’s another amazing track! This one easily makes our playlist!
Between the steadier pace and vocal delivery on ‘Salvation’, it gives off heavy Kiss vibes. The vocal harmonies help the track go from a pretty basic one to a memorable one as again, the chorus is the highlight. It’s a great, stomping, bluesy number, and fits the bands sound perfectly. The guitar solo is maybe my favourite on the album too, it has so much emotion and feeling. And the bluesy outro is amazing. It’s a second track in a row to make it onto our Spotify, great stuff!
The pace picks back up for ‘Who’s the Boss’, a great riff being at its centre. It’s almost like Cadillac Three’s ‘Slide’. It’s a fun, bouncy hard rock track, the backing vocals and harmonies adding so much catchiness to an already massive sounding pre and chorus. It is still a light song too, despite it’s tempo, definitely earning that hard rock tag. It’s a great, fun song, and the third straight to make our playlist!
Tracks like ‘Snacket’, ‘Rumble’ and ‘Tonight I’m Wild’ are good, but more of the same. I very much enjoyed each of them, but there really isn’t much to talk about with them. Bonafide have their sound and very much stay to it, for the most part.
‘Dealt a Bad Hand’ is another quick one, this time more in the vein of Motorhead than anything else. It was a refreshing change of pace, and a fantastic song to boot. The faster drums and riffing was awesome and something the band should have done more on this album, in my opinion. It also means when it goes half-time in the middle it hits so much harder, almost feeling like a breakdown. And the solo rips. It’s a sick song and yet another that makes our playlist!
‘Tommie Nine Fingers’ has a bit more of a blues swing to things, but again sounds a lot like Paul Stanley is involved. Still, the riffing is great, and it’s a damn catchy track. It’s hard not to tap your foot or nod your head, it’s a fun track. Meanwhile closer ‘Little Miss Understood’ is a fitting, upbeat ending. A stomping, catchy hard rock track that takes the album home dripping in swagger and attitude.
Overall: This was pretty great. Don’t get me wrong, none of it exactly reinvented the wheel. It’s all straight forward, to-the-point rock music. However, there were a fair few standout tracks throughout, and it was a damn fun album as a whole. I’ll happily be listening to this for weeks to come, and if you’re into the genre you’ll find a lot to enjoy here!
The Score: 7.5/10