Review Summary: My girl wants to party all the time...
Half a decade after the excellent
Neverland, Mangoo are back with another rager,
The Heat. This damn tight LP might as well be the soundtrack to a night out, since its energy is downright infectious. Right from the cover you can see the retro futuristic influences on the steroids-pumped riffs. There’s that small dose of trademark ‘80s reverb in the mix tying things together, plus the fun vocals occasionally sound as if Daryl Hall grew cojones. ‘Relief’, ‘Get Away’, ‘Deification’, ‘Stumbling Man’ or ‘Tiembla’ are scorching numbers where fuzz-drenched guitars drive alongside pounding drums. The band borrows some grooves from the ‘70s too, mixing them with full force riffage. There’s a lot of energy bursting out, so you can’t help but head bang or dance to it.
Moodier tunes like ‘Beyond the Sky’ and the title track tone things down a bit to capture a hazier atmosphere. The former relies on a mid-tempo bass line on top of which soaring guitars only punctuate, before the epic chorus kicks in. The steady rhythm of ‘The Heat’ slows down halfway to make room for a much needed spaced out segment after the constant onslaught. Nevertheless, Mangoo crank the gear back to eleven towards the end; there’s no time to sleep with all the partying going on around you. Then, ‘Grey Belly’ shares some smooth hooks that only amplify during choruses. The staccato guitar is overtaken by huge solos and some of the most powerful vocals on the record. Moreover, to finish things on a truly high note, the group decided to include a sweet cover of Eddie Murphy’s ‘Party All the Time’. Maybe it shouldn’t have, yet the song sums up the album in a very catchy way. The saturated riffs are golden and Pickles’ passionate croon works so well over them.
Overall,
The Heat is another great record, albeit it could’ve benefited from a couple of laid back moments to offer some respite to the listener. Even so, the hard rockers on the LP are all doing their job just great, so there is a lot to dig into here.
