Downspirit
Bulletproof?

More or less exactly two years ago Downspirit released their debut album, something which was an attempt to blend blues and metal into something that worked. It didn’t completely work back then I think and the debut Point of Origin was a bit up and down and didn’t really live up to its full potential which might have triggered Cede Dupont and vocalist Steffen Lauth to try again with the second album Bulletproof which features two new members on bass and drums. This album follows quite a bit of touring for the band and possibly have they built up a decent following albeit not many had reviewed the album yet as far as I could tell which rarely is a good sign. What is a good sign is the lovely digipak packaging the album comes in, with a neat looking cover artwork so many thanks to Metalville for sending me the real deal and not only digital files.

I must admit that I have put this album aside for quite some time now as I wasn’t expecting too much from it considering how satisfied the band seemed with the first album and such, the thing that they all were experienced guys making such an unfulfilled album was also slightly worrying and why I did not take it on immediately despite the fact that the debut was quite interesting. But now I have given it quite a while and hopefully long enough for form an informed opinion.

It is similar to the first album in style with the bluesrock meets heavy metal style with catchy melodies and choruses. What strikes me almost immediately though is how much better produced the album is, the first one was a bit fragmented in that the songs did not completely match together which they do much better on this album. It is as varied as the debut with songs of many different characters but they still fit together really well despite this. The vocals are better than on the debut as well and despite the guitars being very prominent on this album there isn’t much masturbation and the songs are instead kept short and to the point which twelve tracks playing for less than 44 minutes prove really well. It feels like a classic song oriented rock/metal album that were common in the eighties, but this time with a lot better production and a heavier sound.

I really like how they keep all the songs to the point rather than trying to prove their skills, this is song oriented music in its best form. I mean 2012 there has so far been four albums (five if you count t he retro review of Dream Theater’s Images and Words) receiving a rating of six from my pen so it has not really been a good year seen to the top albums, but it got a bit better as Downspirit joins Primal Fear, Eluveitie, It Bites and Atoma to be the fifth album receiving a rating of six or better. This of course makes Bulletproof a top five album of the year so far which has to be said to be a bit of a surprise which can be said about all top albums bar Eluveitie which was the only expected of the five. This album is just fantastic in so many ways, from the quality of the songs to the great socio-critical lyrics in many of the songs.

It starts by stepping on the toes of all with money as religion in the opener Greed which is a great song and opener. That is followed by Life After Her which is another great song. The third track is called Get the Fuck Up and is a my favourite song on the album and one where the lyrics make it a great call to action, stop being such a coward and start doing things you want. The following track The Wish is another one worth mentioning because it is really good, that one is followed by Human Gift which is a bit of an anti-war song. Next track Are You Proud? is anther wonderful track and the runner up to the favourite mainly thanks to its wonderful lyrics which are mocking the americans. I always love things that is down on the americans because they are so full of themselves, “Are you proud - and - do you wave your flag - look away - homeless - look away - gang wars - bang bang -hey - yeah you’re free - killed in a drive by - or gunned down at school” that chorus is just spectacular but the entire song is filled with great insights about “the land of the free, and the home of the brave” as they refer to themselves - which is true if you believe in fairytales.

And I can go on to count great songs like Hellyeah, Overload, Gotta Get Away, What a Way to Die and I’m a Survivor but that makes me count every song on the album which may be a bit excessive. They also nod towards the greatness of us swedes (who always take other Swedes successes as our own and it makes us proud like it was our own achievements) in the cover of Roxette’s The Look. I don’t think it is the best song of Roxette but it is still a really good song and Downspirit makes a great cover of it, they make it into their own and into a great song that is still the worst on the album. I don’t know if I think it is better than the original or not, it is better if I play it in relation to the album though.

So, this got a bit long which seems to be the case when I am raving on about how great something is and Downspirit are really great on this album which has no negatives. And everything critical to “the land of the fat, and the home of the ignorant” (the land where the people think it is a sign of freedom that everyone is allowed to carry weapons) really ought to be applauded as there is a lot wrong in this world and that nation is probably the biggest cause of those wrongs. But even if they weren’t US-critical I would still really enjoy this album because the songs are just amazing and this album is absolutely brilliant.

So, get the fuck up and visit your nearest record store and buy this album - It is fantastic.