Warrior

Trouble were an extremely short-lived heavy metal band from Sweden. They had a three-year reign from 1982, all the way up to 1985. Two releases, one demo and one full-length release. Now, you might as just call them "hit-one-wonders" of the '80's scene in heavy metal, or just metal in general. A bit of a shame, whatever the reason they're no longer a band, whether-or-not it was due to high costs of production, if that was even the reason, loss of interest, physical or mental illness behind the band and within their members, as average as this album is, they did show "some" promise and potential in making music. This is lacking a lot of quality and isn't anything original. Basically, it's a "one-trick-pony" release, if that makes any sense at all. I feel the band probably should have gathered more music-influenced-vibes. Just because I suggested that they have unveiled "some" promise and potential in forming music, doesn't mean they would have been successful. They just didn't accomplish what most pioneering bands did in the early days of heavy metal. A lot of metal bands way back in the day, were either very original or knew how to adapt to a traditional sound really well. And I think only the elite few were successful in gaining that, out of the hundreds or even thousands of bands. A lot of these underrated bands, remained underrated. And with good reason. The drive isn't always there either. Well, I'm assuming you readers get the general idea of what I'm saying, so that's enough with the introduction of this part of the review. Time to hop into the real stuff.

I can almost promise less than five-thousand people know about this band today, and that's likely because of their short-lived career. You know, it's rather nice knowing that sites like this, archive even bands from many years ago and gather as much info as possible. Especially info that might have never been surfaced or perhaps forgotten. You know, there's nothing wrong with average bands and/or their releases. Gives us a reason to appreciate our attempts and try harder next time, well, if there is a "next time", you know? I want to say some nice things about the band's choice of artwork and style of it. Alright, so basically, the artwork is very traditional, and I mean that in a successful way. You have your very detailed, '80's visual construction. Back then, it was either hand-drawn or it was hand-painted, you know, before the days of laziness and the whole "photoshop" nonsense. Even the logos were drawn and/or painted on. Sometimes computer-placed, depending, but that seemed to be more a '90's thing...sort of. You have a greatly detailed, white horse. And a strong dude with a sword. Bands and artist knew how to capture vintage looks back then, even if was modern. It always had a faded look and atmosphere. It has a very strong look from the middle ages, and hoped to be obvious, too. Really admire the colour choice and how it was shaded, very nice. It's got a story behind it. Looks like a vintage movie poster, back when posters were worth collecting.

The audio production is lo-fi, but what wasn't in the '80's? Still not bad, in terms of sound. A little fuzzy-ish...maybe? Basically sounds like it was recorded using a low-pass filter, bit muffled, but totally sounds retro, nonetheless. Is this record even worth a modern remaster of the 21st century? In all fairness, why not? Maybe if this came back with flying colours, it could be accepted as a heavy metal classic instead of an "iffy" record from the second-hand bin of records at some old CD shop. With a modern production, this could be a total resurrection of the band and their release. You know, as lack-lusting as this release might be, it could be modified differently. It's a shame that even average releases become rare because no productions are being made because Hollywood are a bunch of assholes, and all these underground labels and their creators have died. But can bands truly die and their music? Eh....as of right now, as I write this review, I wouldn't exactly suggest so, even if the world did end.

The vocalist, well... I'd probably say singer this time because he's doing just that. He sounds like a lower key form of the guy from Iron Maiden to me. Oh...and sorry if I don't know his name either. If I'm not into a band enough to care about a member's name, chances are he'll be known as "that guy". Anyways, he sounds like an expert singer, of the lower range. To me, this sounds a bit more like power metal singing than heavy metal singing. But anyways, both with popular in the '80's. Both shared a strong theme. These guys just did that overall sound a little less than their successful counterparts, nonetheless, you can still truly feel what they were trying to hit, back then. You can kind of even feel the '80's...like, your legit vision will form into a new viewpoint and you can feel and see how music was in the '80's. I like the singer, he's a little different in key, it's a bit of a change, and a nice one that he's not always singing high, like a lot of other metal bands did back then, so good for him on that.

This record does deserve a much-needed, detailed review. I hope mine gives you (the readers an insight of what I'm stating). Onward! Now, remember how I mentioned the audio production sounds like it's basically coming from, what seems to be, a low-pass filter. Eh, well, basically, it's why a remaster would help, simple because, I can't really hear any bass at all. Even the guitars are quiet, and that's a bit of a problem. Has some nice melody-styled shredding, high-pitched solos, sounds nice, to be fair. But it lacks so much production power, it literally takes away from the size. Reminds me a little bit of a 1930's recording, but the best possible kind from back then, respectively. You have some nicely tuned guitars and basic distortion. The BPM doesn't sound anything beyond 140, but that's just my opinion. Some really mellow construction through-and-through. But it's not the most original either. But it's not terrible. I still would say that this is better than Burzum's 1997 album, which I don't think I need to even say the name of it, that's how hated it's become over the years. At least this album didn't sound like a bad joke being played on itself. I probably shouldn't compare the two bands either...you know, since it's like, a twelve-year difference and the fact both bands sound nothing alike, but still...It did at least try. Anyways, with the audio sharing it's muffle theme, it's really hard to into any stronger detail, regarding the guitar and bass work.

The drums are, however, better. They sound sharper, and have a fair amount of reverb in them. I forgot to mention, but since this album is well over thirty years old, as I type this review, it sounds really live, as to be expect, of course. The drumming isn't extreme, it's rather, mellow-like and always on point. Crash symbols, snare drums and bass drums are basically all that really sound like being used out of everything. So, the drumming verity isn't really there, but you know, you have to make do with what you have, I guess. At least it's an effort being made.

Not at all a memorable album, unfortunately. You know, it's a damn shame metal music is underrated as it is... As unpopular as this record is, it should be noted and streamed on vintage metal stations online, just a tad more often, if it's being played at all, I mean. Would I suggest this album to anyone? Well, to be perfectly fair, not before I suggest something better of course. Would I listen to this album more than once? Yeah, sure! I mean, it's not bad. Maybe a couple-or-so times a years because it really isn't that bad. It's not....great, but it's...good, I guess. I'm glad it was created because was at least worth the attempt. But it's not too exciting, it's okay for the casual listener, too. Still....it is a lackluster release anyways, it could have been constructed better. But remember, it's worth more than one listen, if you're asking me personally. If you want to compare it to an underrated band, that were actually good, back in the '80's, I'd compare this band this release to "Heathen's Rage - Heathen's Rage", now that....THAT's a good band and good record. Get the idea now? Oh...and Heathen's Rage's self-titled record is an EP release, so...that's even more impressive. This band's release will always be in another band's shadow, from that era, I mean. Unless that band is shittier than this one. Not saying this band is shit, but they're no a prime remembrance either.

A little more to add-onto. This would be good basement music on a summer afternoon if you're doing any physical construction as a hobby, basically, painting, woodworking, sewing, crafting or even welding. It's good background noise, even for cracking open a case of beer or something. Would I recommend any tracks? Well, maybe, but I'd say it's more up to the listeners to pick for themselves, because this album might hit people a lot different than myself, I think a lot of people (not all of them, of course), can make realistic judgement on what they would consider to be good on this release. You can pick-or-choose what you like, if anything at all, or you can choose to enjoy the whole thing. Hell, more people might like this than we think, they just don't know this band ever came into the flesh at one point in time. Better clarity would have been a massive plus for this band though, I strongly think.

Final words... All-and-all...good release at best. I'll consider revisiting this album again the future, it's good enough for what it did at the time and might as well be appreciated by those who can actually appreciate it. A fair try guys, perhaps if you would have given us another record, it might have proven to be better than this one (or not). Hope you take time out of your day and give this, nearly one-hour album, a try. It's better than collecting digital dust, since well, you know, places like YouTube can find this stuff easily...sometimes. Anyways, judge it for yourselves... Enjoy!

When contemplating the endless sea of one-time recording projects that flew the old school heavy metal banner in the early to mid 1980s, it is difficult to avoid pondering why the vast majority of them seemed to vanish without even a single moving part of the whole fielding a subsequent project after the initial demise. For every band to come out of the NWOBHM that had a lengthy career, there were at least ten that barely managed to sneak in a two song demo or single prior to folding tent, and the scenes in the U.S., Germany and Sweden showed a similar tendency a few short years later. In a lot of cases, the potential for bigger and better things was clearly present, though for others an untimely demise was the best outcome for all concerned parties, be it unsuspecting listeners or the musicians themselves. A ragtag group of Swedes going by the name Trouble, all but assuredly unaware that they were taking the same moniker as an already established pioneering metal act in America, fall into said category all but to a fault.

In all fairness, it should be noted that at least one of these songs was written back in 1982 and it is likely that many of the rest sat in limbo as far back as 1983, thus making their more hard rocking demeanor understandable. Even by 1985 when this band's lone LP Warrior was given its limited release, it wasn't terribly uncommon to find an AOR-oriented rock/metal affair that is more readily compared to Love At First Sting or Under Lock & Key than something by Satan or Blitzkrieg, sporting a cartoon-like depiction of a barbarian with sword in hand on the cover no less. Be all this as it may, Trouble present a picture of early metal that is more likely to be received with an embarrassed cringe than an jovial sing-along session, even for avid fans of Dokken who don't mind the chick-obsessed musings of Don's power balladry and smooth rocking swagger. It's largely a failure of execution than anything else, though the ballad work is definitely underdeveloped and over-represented, and finds a band with no discernible identity other than that of a shameless panderer.

Any band, even one comprised of only four people, presents a pool of talent that individually varies yet has to function as a cohesive whole that can be fully sabotaged with merely one poisoned pill. In this case, the saboteur proves to be vocalist and bassist Gunnar Jonsson, entirely due to his performance in the former department. The unpleasant bellows and out-of-tune, accent-steeped croons that make up his vocal performance give off images of a guy who is both busy playing the bass (and in this department he performs quite well) and trying to choke back a nasty nosebleed while enunciating some of the most awkward lyrics to grace the recorded medium. It's a real shame too considering that in spite of the bare-bones simplicity of mid-paced rockers like "I'm Not Afraid", "Don't Blame It On Me" and "Mr. Rock 'N' Roll" there's a solid collection of hooks and some competent lead guitar noodling and dueling harmonies that function as something of a missing link between the classic UFO rocking sound and its slightly heavier mid-80s cousins, and in the cases of "Warrior" and "Gamblin' Man" come off as memorable and reasonably heavy when tuning out the bad singing.

To put it in the most basic terms, this is a project that lacks edge, and whatever edge it has instrumentally is cancelled out by the incompetence of the band's de facto leader. Turning this album into something more digestible to the old school metal connoisseur is actually extremely simple, namely telling Mr. Jonsson to stick to playing the bass and then bringing in a singer with some more charisma and bite, perhaps along the lines of Steve Grimmett or someone close to the sleazy snarl of Bill Byford. The are some isolated points to be found on here that may appeal to those who found Twisted Sister's Love Is For Suckers to be a solid listening experience, but as a total package, this is something that would best be left buried alongside Tygers Of Pan Tang's career ending flop Burning In The Shade. The niche field of heavy metal treasure hunting offers a veritable mountain of possibilities, but for every handful of precious materials that might be unearthed is the unhappy eventuality of picking up a petrified chunk of horse dung, in this case one ridden by a cheap Conan knockoff in a set of trousers from the local mall.

Upon the coyest of glances, this cover looks pretty promising. A nice palette, a nice horse, a cool barbarian. Maybe we've got some Cirith Ungol or Manilla Road in store for us, right? But upon a glance that lasts more than five seconds, the mystique falls apart hard. Why is the warrior wearing khakis, and why is his mighty steed terrified of pink peonies? Suddenly this 80's Barbie VHS cover isn't looking so hot, and you'll be tempted to retreat back to Crystal Logic like a normal human being.

Modern record companies like to re-release stuff like this, claiming it was some unfairly forgotten gem. Nine times out of ten, it's a bland emissary from the so-called new wave of Swedish heavy metal. To that scene's credit, it produced some truly spectacular traditional metal, namely Stronger Than Evil and Diamond Mistress, but this album is far, far below those. The incessant melodrama and saccharine crooning from the vocalist is a major kiss of death, waltzing alongside ballads and commercialized love songs like 'We'll Meet Again' and 'It's Late'.

This is very far-removed from metal in general, which itself is not a bad thing, but its approach to songwriting is evocative of the desolate void of mid-80's NWOBHM, and that is a bad thing. Despite this, moments of genuine intrigue occasionally shine through, often in the form of a catchy solo or hook. It's a little "We've got Battle Hymns at home", perhaps, or for more of an obscure comparison, I was reminded of Tarantula's underground cult classic Kingdom of Lusitania. Keep in mind though, that album was all about the history of Portugal, yet did a far better job keeping me awake than this slow soap opera of an album.

“I’m not afraid, woman. We’ll meet again, so don’t blame it on me.” She turns, and he crumbles, “I want you back.”

No, not the lyrics to a song here, nor are they the words to a new Air Supply sapster. Not a flashback to some confrontation with a past girlfriend. Nope. Sadly, it’s side one’s song titles set to an instance, and in playlist order no less. Knowing this, it would seem with only fingers positioned in the sign of the cross is it okay to approach Warrior, the sole cache of the other Trouble, the one nobody save a few collectors and the members’ then-next door neighbors have ever bothered to know about. Side two’s titles are a little healthier but still inconsequential to the disc’s visual vibe, though one like “Mr. Rock n’ Roll” brings with it chilling visions of updated Bad Company or Procol Harum. This, however, is only a listener’s cross to bear. For the collector, locating this album results in something like an eager expedition to metal’s ocean floor where countless treasures still lie. I’m of both parties, ‘cos I like to listen as much as look.

…somewhere off the shore of the Sea of Scarce two boats float…

Warrior is dragged writhing to the surface. The deity of metal discovery, a muscular, wild-maned Manowarian barbarian, a neutral being swirled in the legend of forever perching on a cliff’s edge overlooking the sea, spots the record’s rare unearthing and with a large conk shell sounds the call. The shell’s flat, horn-smooth timbre is both omnipresent and vague in its significance as it’s carried on the salty breeze throughout the cosmos. The merry collector throws a wad of cash into the water and looks into the same sea breeze, squinting against its spray. Fulfillment smooths his wrinkled and weathered face, and to his ears the call is nothing short of triumphant. He lives for this. And in his world the album’s altitude of songwriting and execution means little. He simply takes it home and mounts it on his wall like one would a swordfish.

He doesn’t see the god’s approving smirk through the clouds.

To the auditory scavenger the shell’s hearkening is similar – a victor’s soundtrack, challenged only by the resonance of the very album itself. It’s fervently pulled aboard. Looking capable enough with its fantasy, better-than-usual-though-still-beware artwork, it’s a specimen that seems perfectly welcome in one specific corner of metal’s universe, the epic bend in space and time where towers are toppled and peasants are plundered by Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol, Manowar, Omen, and early Candlemass. For this man, it’s all about the harmonics laid in the grooves. The stereo is his wall, and only the pressure of pure sound can be his thumbtacks, but unlike the collector, things aren’t as cut and dry for the true metal fan i.e. the listener. Flip the album for the playlist and most Dark Age grandeur goes ka-plunk into disappointment’s toilet, and only ‘most’ because he hasn’t spun the thing yet, but naturally he’s got a turntable on board. The record’s placed gingerly. After around fifteen minutes of bathing in Trouble’s finest rays, the gray waters of despair soak in like a sponge, quickly and eventually filling the boat. Sadly he realizes the deity’s call was but a warning, a cautionary call to all in earshot, one that was meant to be deciphered as…throw it back! Better luck next time, you poor schlep, echoes a voice from beyond through a smirk of slight diabolic delight. And thanks for adding the day’s paycheck to Davey Jones’ locker. Guess the deity isn’t so neutral after all. I guess he’s just amused.

Alright, we already know Warrior has one of those jackets that can throw equal parts dread and captivation into some metalheads – dread for those allergic to dairy products and captivation for those (of us) all Merlin-minded and Arthur-awestruck, yet as it unfolds both sets of fans become painfully aware that they may as well pack up and go home. It’s more dreary n’ drowsy than cheesy, and anything medieval has been sheathed tight long ago or was never a thought in the first place. Thematically aligned or not, this thing has the ability to whirl without any overall excitement. In fact, even by this mid-term year of the eighties it’s hard to tell if these guys thought they were metal. Judging by the slush-handed rockiness of “I’m not Afraid”, “Don’t Blame it on Me”, and “Mr. Rock n’ Roll”, a handful that are only a little more dynamic than eye-fluttering balladeers “We’ll Meet Again”, “I Want You Back”, and “It’s Late”…well, let’s just say this would be more forgivable if it were released in ’81 like it sounds. We have a bunch of those nameless and faceless rock songs you find stranded in bad b-movies that started at about the cusp of the decade, only these are a mere iota heavier, are minus keyboards, and in “I Want You Back” we’re treated to a helping of zippy harmonica to really rub in this half hour that wastes our life. We’ve got a singer with a runny-nosed discharge; an uninterestingly smeared and stuffy tenor that can release a Joe “is she really going out with him?” Jackson poisonous spore that further withers this somewhere down around hapless height.

One doesn’t have to live through the final boring moments of “Gamblin’ Man” to smell Warrior’s stench of disconnection…from metal, from memory, and from meaning, as if Sweden was a country on the Moon and the calendar stopped flipping four years ago. The guy who fished this out of the lake with all intentions of hitting it with a stylus has tried to wring some redeeming value out of its fishy carcass, believe me, but only got a set of smelly hands for his, well, trouble. Brass tack picture: Trouble can make acts like Witchfynde and Demon (UK) seem like Savage Grace. Sometimes it pays just not to listen.

Meanwhile, the collector scratches a hard one from his list with a giggle in his throat.