Review Summary: 60s Nostalgia
Innocence and Decadence is the fourth studio album by the hard rock Swedish band, Graveyard. I am realizing more and more now how great of a band they actually are. The roots of their influences can be heard in Dire Straits, Cream, Blue Oyster Cult, Led Zeppelin, and many more. But they are not only great because of their influences, it is how they execute their music. In Graveyard, you can find more than just track after track of rock revival. Although, their influences are what make them great, I feel they have matured and dug deeper than ever before with Innocence and Decadence.
The album kicks off with “Magnetic Shunk.” An in your face track that grabs your attention and lets you know a little of what they have in store but at the same time not all too revealing. The riff on this track and on most of the tracks across the album give off such a nostalgic feel of late 60s and early 70s rock. But, after the opener follows “The Apple & the Tree.” For sure, one of the strongest tracks on the album, giving a LZ/Hendrix feel. It also includes a segment of guitar distortion letting us know that we are not back in the 60s all together.
All the sudden “Exit 97” begins and things start to get interesting. Starting with some smooth guitar chords and light drumming it has a very laid back feel. Including some cryptic lyrics in the first verse the song starts strong and bold. All the sudden the drums begin to pick up and the song shifts into an epic as Joakim Nilsson singing also shifts from soft to almost yelling. Also some great organ on this track.
But with any album, there are also lowlights. After 3 superb songs comes “Never Theirs to Sell.” Again, sounding like Cream & LZ combined but it just sounds too dated and drawn out in the end to be enjoyable. Also the lyrics are way too half-assed. The good part is that these bland moments do not come often and after “Never Theirs to Sell” comes “Can’t Walk Out” and they pick back up again. It is the longest track on the album clocking in at 5:43 and is a rocker.
Graveyard does a great job all around on their fourth release and opens some new doors. It is by far their boldest album yet and may cement them as the best rock revival band out right now. Their influences are deeper than ever before and the guitar playing is nothing short of spectacular. Innocence and Decadence really caught me off guard and kept me interested from start to finish. Definitely worth checking out if you’ve ever thought about how 60s psychedelic could never be brought back. I gotta say that no one does it better than Graveyard.
3.8/5
