HMS Keelhaul
Anchord

HMS Keelhaul doesn’t sound like a ship that I would like to embark on for a ride through the metal and rock streams. Nevertheless, Anchord is the maiden voyage of this ship with a Finnish crew. They have done a smaller journey before this one but here they embark into the murky waters of the music business, and that can be a very hazardous journey. But judging by the opening of this album they are quite competent and up to the task.

Heavy rock or metal is what we are dealing with musically, pretty straightforward and no fancy stuff. Catchy and to the point, easily accessible music that plays on ten tracks and for 46 minutes where the variation could have been somewhat better. The production is pretty good, as are the vocals and the band’s performances. It is clearly a solid ship that will stay afloat in the waters where so many get lost and are never heard from again.

There is a however coming though. And that is because they are not particularly adventurous, they play it very safe with double bulkheads, lifeboats, scuba gear and life jackets so they will not sink but their movement are very restricted as a consequence of this safety first approach. I would have liked them to throw some safety gear away, to move into some more interesting waters and dare to risk a little to reap the rewards of success. This album is solid, it works but it will not really go down in history as one of the best or most exciting albums released in 2016.

They keep their ship afloat, skilfully navigating the mainstreams in an unexciting journey where the short intro to the first song is the best thing on the entire album. They need to dare much more if they want to make something more interesting in the future. I would say that the journey of HMS Keelhaul is a decent and safe one, it works but could have been a lot more interesting.

HHHHHHH