As they’re already in the mixing stage of their next full-length, it’s probably safe to call the five-track Sign Here for Nothing EP (SCOJ Music) from Swedish heavy rockers Thalamus a stop-gap release. Perhaps it was the need to get some material on tape with organist Håkan Danielsson, who didn’t appear on the band’s 2007 Beneath a Dying Sun debut LP, but whatever the case, Sign Here for Nothing stands on its own, full of retro riffing rock in the grand Swedish tradition of Spiritual Beggars, Danielsson playing a large role in filling out the sound while the double guitars of Kjell Bergendahl (also vocals) and Jan Cederlund (who has since left the band) lead the way for classic hooks and palpable grooves. At just 19 minutes, Sign Here for Nothing isn’t by any means a definitive statement from the band – except perhaps in terms of lineup – or enough to form a basis for an understanding of their career, but it’s a step in the process of the five-piece sorting out the balance of their sound, and a good listen along the way for those longing for something retro but not necessarily vintage.

The title Sign Here for Nothing comes from second track “Breathe Easy,” on which the riff takes the lead over Danielsson’s organ and Bergendahl’s vocals, as they were on opener “Hope You Understand,” are front and central in the mix. I’m never a fan of this approach in heavy rock – über-featuring the vocals – and I find I’m not when it comes to Thalamus either, since it comes at the expense of both guitars and the bass work of Peter Johansson, which is lost in some of the low end of the organ and could easily be brought forward more. Not that Bergendahl isn’t a capable vocalist – his voice has a loose classic rock inflection that works excellently with both the music behind him and Danielsson’s backing contributions – but on the later “New Age Blues,” a more equal footing is achieved in the choruses, and it seems a more successful track for it. “Black Day Sunday” takes away some of the garage feel of “Breathe Easy,” putting Thalamus in more straightforward riff-rock territory, but it’s a fine line anyway, and the difference isn’t enough to make the song standout in a negative way.

Read more »