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Juicer Premiere “Concussion Machine” from Mach IV

Posted in audiObelisk on August 30th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

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Norwegian five-piece Juicer are set to release their debut long-player, the deceptively-titled Mach IV, on Sept. 21 through All Good Clean Records. Like swagger incarnate, the classic heavy rocking outfit bust out a tight-knit 10-track collection informed by garage rock, early metal and ’70s vibes, peppered with a healthy dose of Scandinavian screw-all, and focusing on the songs, the songs, the songs when it comes to priorities. In intricacies like the piano worked into “Forever is a Long Time” and the twin-guitar leads of the earlier “Saturday Night O.D.,” Juicer present an attention to detail that fleshes out the basic level of craft, but it becomes clear throughout the album’s 38-minute run that it’s in fact that basic craft that’s meant to be the focus.

With Vegar Husby Fiskum‘s vocals front and center on the proto-metallic “Catch 25” and the not-at-all-slacking harmonies in the hook of “The Slacker,” they bask in traditionalist heavy vibes without losing their sound entirely to retroism and their hyper-unpretentious approach speaks to punker roots somewhere in the lineup of Fiskum, guitarists Ole Aleksander Ekker and Fredrik Lian (the latter also vocals), bassist/vocalist Ole Christian Pedersen and drummer Andreas Barlien that keep things exciting without going over-the-top in speed or a hollow-sounding performative nature.

juicer mach ivThat is, they nail the balance just about all the way around. Mach IV — which would seem to be named to make the casual listener think it’s not at all a debut — has a deceptive amount of class to it, whereby cuts like the opening title-track and the later “Concussion Machine” turn out strutting grooves like Thin Lizzy throwing down with Death Alley and still seem to come out of it with their hands clean. Production is a big part of it in that Juicer manage to hone a sound that’s both natural and still crisp-sounding, as ready for vinyl in its content as its sub-40-minute runtime, and clear-headed in its delivery without being stale.

The solo at the outset of the penultimate “Burrito” and the organ included behind the locked-in groove of “You Scared Me Straight” may be layered in or may be recorded live — the point is the album is naturalist enough that it doesn’t really matter which it is. The results are still the same, and the results are engaging and briskly done in harnessing familiar style elements and recrafting them into something of the band’s own. On that level, as well, Mach IV does little to let its audience know it’s the band’s first LP.

So be it. If you’ve got ears to get down with the cause, Mach IV makes no shortage of arguments in its own favor, and while Juicer at times sound like they might want to be rougher-edged than they are here — one expects when they take a stage, they have a bit more grit to their style — the recording highlights their deftly executed stylistic turns and varied moods while still remaining consistent in tone and overall demeanor. It’s an offering with no shortage of personality, as you can hear in the premiere of “Concussion Machine,” via the player below.

Album info follows from the PR wire. Please enjoy:

Juicer on “Concussion Machine”:

Concussion Machine is a rock and roll epic with a catchy refrain and lots of twin guitars. I guess it follows the same recipe of the remaining tracks with our shameless use of tried and true rock and roll clichés. The lyrics are about knocking the senses of whining and useless people in today’s society, basically we tried to addresses the philosophical questions regarding the everyday life of five ordinary, inconvenient and disillusioned men in their late 20s.

Juicer is a five piece orchestra who plays potent and trashy rock. Their debut album ‘Mach IV’ contains 10 hook based, all killer no filler rock and roll epics. Every single track has been processed through Juicer’s eminent orchestration machinery, complimented with sharp, well formulated lyrics and recorded in an extremely expensive recording studio in down town Trondheim. All this done with a large portion of self-irony and humour that is easy to relate to.

Juicer shows that they’re not afraid to go against the trends and norms of today’s contemporary musical landscapes, making “Mach IV” somewhat of a niche product designed with the lovers of guitar based rock music in mind, by lovers of guitar based rock music.

Tracklist:
1. Mach IV
2. Saturday Night OD
3. Catch 25
4. You Scared me Straight
5. Unconditional Love
6. Forever is a long time
7. Concussion Machine
8. The Slacker
9. Burrito
10. On the move

Juicer is:
Vegar Husby Fiskum – Vocals
Andreas Barlien – Drums
Ole Christian Pedersen – Bass & Vocals
Ole Aleksander Ekker – Guitar
Fredrik Lian – Guitar & Vocals

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All Good Clean Records website

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